Hungarian opposition promises to investigate Szijjártó ties with Russia
Hungarian opposition politician Anita Orbán, who could become Foreign Secretary if the Tisza party wins, has responded to reports alleging her involvement in an “intelligence operation” against the current Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó. She described the claims as an attempt to divert attention from a scandal in which Szijjártó is alleged to have passed confidential details of European Council meetings to Moscow.
“The government’s propaganda is attempting to distract from the fact that Péter Szijjártó regularly reports to Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, on what is discussed behind closed doors at European Council meetings, thereby betraying Hungarian and European interests… It is a national tragedy that Hungary’s foreign policy has deteriorated to this extent under Fidesz,” Orbán said.
She added that a new government would immediately investigate Szijjártó’s links with Russia and restore the country’s sovereign foreign policy. Orbán also rejected accusations of her involvement in the publications, stating that she has had almost no contact with investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi in recent years.
Recently, the pro-government outlet Mandiner published an article based on an anonymous source claiming that Panyi had gained access to Szijjártó’s phone conversations and that Orbán was allegedly an “accomplice”. The opposition politician denied these allegations and stressed that they are entirely unfounded.
“Before 2010, there were discussions about Panyi possibly joining my campaign team when I was running as a Fidesz candidate. Over the past two years, we have only met twice, including once at a conference. I have not discussed any staffing matters with him,” she explained.
According to Orbán, a new government led by Tisza would prioritise a transparent investigation into foreign policy contacts and restore trust in Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs—an issue that has become particularly pressing amid reports of Szijjártó’s possible cooperation with Moscow.
The EU has also limited Hungary’s participation in confidential negotiations.
