European Leaders Condemn Hungarian FM Szijjártó Over Leaked Russia Talks on EU Sanctions

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó faces widespread criticism from European leaders, including those from Poland and Ireland, following leaked audio that allegedly captures him promising Moscow assistance with EU sanctions, further detailing the ongoing diplomatic scandal.

31 Mar, 19:03 — 31 Mar, 19:21

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Why this matters

This story is significant as it suggests a high-level Hungarian official may have undermined EU unity on sanctions against Russia, potentially compromising the bloc's foreign policy. Such actions, if proven, could lead to further diplomatic tensions within the EU and raise questions about Hungary's commitment to common European positions, especially concerning the war in Ukraine.

Key entitiesPéter Szijjártó Sergey Lavrov European Union Hungary Poland Ireland VSquare TheInsider

The Story

What 14 sources agree on, dispute, and miss

What sources agree on

Leaked audio recordings purportedly show Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó discussing EU sanctions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
European leaders, including Polish and Irish, have condemned Szijjártó's alleged actions.
Szijjártó has publicly acknowledged contact with Russian officials during EU sanction discussions.

Key claims4 agreed · 1 unverified

✓

Leaked audio captures Péter Szijjártó telling Moscow he would try to amend the EU sanctions list.

agreed·The Guardiandigi24jutarnji-listzdg-mdhotnews+4

✓

Polish and Irish leaders have condemned the Hungarian government's actions as 'repulsive' or 'sinister'.

agreed·The Guardiandigi24

✓

Szijjártó admitted to discussing EU sanctions with Russian officials.

agreed·klix-baaktuality-skhvg

Hungary collaborated with Russia to remove specific Russian oligarchs, companies, and banks from EU sanctions lists.

unverified·zdg-mdhotnewsvijesti-meaktuality-sk

✓

Szijjártó claims the leaked conversation contained nothing interesting and merely reiterated his public stance.

agreed·hvgklix-ba

Where they diverge

Interpretation of Szijjártó's actions and the leaked audio

The Guardiandigi24ukrinformzdg-mdhotnews+5 morevijesti-medie-presseorfjutarnji-listaktuality-sk

Szijjártó provided strategic information to Russia and collaborated to remove entities from EU sanctions lists, drawing strong condemnation.

naftemporikihvgklix-ba

Szijjártó dismisses the leaks as uninteresting, foreign interference, or merely stating publicly known positions.

Nature of the information shared with Russia

zdg-mdhotnewsvijesti-medie-presseaktuality-sk

Hungary collaborated with Russia to remove specific oligarchs, companies, and banks from EU sanctions lists.

The Guardiandigi24ukrinformorfjutarnji-list

Szijjártó offered to amend or influence the EU sanctions list to Russia's liking, without specifying details.

Coverage gaps

Specific details of the alleged 'treason' or legal implications mentioned by Hungarian opposition figure Magyar Péter

Reportedtelex

MissingukrinformThe Guardiandigi24+10

The identity of the investigative media outlets (VSquare, TheInsider) that published the audio

Reportedzdg-mdhotnewsjutarnji-listvijesti-me

MissingukrinformThe Guardiandigi24+7

Coverage matrix(14 sources)

1–10 of 14

	The Guardian	telex	orf	die-presse	digi24	hvg	aktuality-sk	jutarnji-list	hotnews	naftemporiki
Interpretation of Szijjártó's actions and the leaked audio
Nature of the information shared with Russia
Specific details of the alleged 'treason' or legal implications mentioned by Hungarian opposition figure Magyar Péter
The identity of the investigative media outlets (VSquare, TheInsider) that published the audio

Covered Divergent Not mentioned

The Story

Analyzing sources…

Source Diversity

Excellent (92/100)

14 sources33/33

Spectrum spread— 4/5 buckets covered25/33

Far L1

Far Left (1)

The Guardian

Left5

Left (5)

telexhvgzdg-mdhotnewsvijesti-me

Center5

Center (5)

digi24orfklix-baaktuality-skjutarnji-list

Right3

Right (3)

ukrinformnaftemporikidie-presse

Far R

Geographic diversity— 11 regions34/34

Romania2Hungary2Austria2Ukraine1UK1Greece1Bosnia1Slovakia1Croatia1Moldova1Montenegro1

Political spectrum

LeftCenterRight

guardian

telex

hvg

zdg-md

hotnews

vijesti-me

digi24

orf

klix-ba

aktuality-sk

jutarnji-list

ukrinform

naftemporiki

die-presse

Outlet rating This story

SourceOutletiGeneral editorial lean of the outletStoryiHow they covered this specific storyToneFactuality

The Guardianleftcenter-leftanalyticalMostly FactualHighlights condemnation and alleged links

telexcenter-leftcenter-leftanalytical—Reports on opposition figure's 'treason' remarks

hvg

Coverage leans: center-left

The overall coverage leans center-left, with most outlets highlighting the severity of Szijjártó's alleged actions and the strong condemnation from other EU leaders, while Hungarian outlets present Szijjártó's defense.

Sources

Showing 2 of 14 sources

The GuardianMostly Factual1h ago

Polish and Irish leaders condemn Hungarian foreign minister’s alleged links to Russia

Leaked audio appeared to capture Péter Szijjártó telling Moscow he would try to amend EU sanctions list to its liking Polish and Irish leaders have called the Hungarian government’s actions “repulsive” and “sinister”, after leaked audio appeared to capture its foreign minister telling Moscow he would try to amend the EU sanctions list to its liking. On Tuesday – days before an election in which Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is facing the toughest battle of his 16 years in power – a joint media inves...

By Ashifa Kassam in Budapest and Jakub Krupa

Read full article →

ukrinformMixed47m ago

Sybiha calls on EU to assess Szijjarto's close contacts with Lavrov

The European Union should examine the close contacts between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and the foreign minister of the aggressor state, Sergey Lavrov, and give them a proper assessment, as they undermine trust and the security of internal discussions within the EU.

Read full article →

Coverage Timeline

First report: die-presse · 31 Mar, 09:20|Full coverage: 14 · 10h|Window: 10h

Left-leaningCenterRight-leaning

die-presse31 Mar, 09:20First to report

„Stehe stets zu Ihren Diensten“: Ungarns Außenminister Szijjártó buckelt in Telefonat vor Lawrow [premium]

2h later

vijesti-me31 Mar, 11:04

Objavljen snimak: "Mađarska sarađivala s Rusijom kako bi sa se...

hotnews31 Mar, 11:49

„Sunt la dispoziția dvs.”: discuțiile secrete dintre ministrul maghiar de Externe și rusul Serghei Lavrov, dezvăluite de o anchetă de presă

zdg-md31 Mar, 12:06

Investigație VSquare/ Audio: Ungaria a colaborat cu Rusia pentru a scoate de pe lista sancțiunilor oligarhi, companii și bănci rusești: „Sunt întotdeauna la dispoziția dvs”

3h later

jutarnji-list31 Mar, 14:39

Lavrov Szijjártu: ‘Podsjećam na vaše obećanje...‘ Mađarski ministar: ‘Dat ćemo sve od sebe‘

klix-ba31 Mar, 14:41

Šef mađarske diplomatije umanjuje skandal s Lavrovom: Uhvatili ste me, rekao sam šta govorim i javno

aktuality-sk31 Mar, 14:41

Maďarský minister zahraničných vecí Péter Szijjártó priznal kontakt s Ruskom v čase diskusií EÚ o sankciách

hvg31 Mar, 15:02

Szijjártó Péter kifakadt: Ugyanazt mondtam a telefonon, amit nyilvánosan is

orf31 Mar, 15:13

„Zu Ihrer Verfügung“: Ungarns Minister in Gespräch mit Lawrow

2h later

telex31 Mar, 16:46

Magyar Péter a Lavrovval egyeztető Szijjártóról beszélt, majd a Btk.-ból emlegette a hazaárulást

naftemporiki31 Mar, 17:15

Ο ΥΠΕΞ της Ουγγαρίας απορρίπτει καταγγελίες για διαρροή πληροφοριών προς τη Ρωσία

digi2431 Mar, 17:20

Liderii europeni, după informațiile că Szijjártó sifona la Lavrov: „Sinistru. A scos la iveală cât de bizară e această relație”

2h later

The Guardian31 Mar, 19:03

Polish and Irish leaders condemn Hungarian foreign minister’s alleged links to Russia

ukrinform31 Mar, 19:21Latest update

Sybiha calls on EU to assess Szijjarto's close contacts with Lavrov

Story evolution

The narrative shifted from the initial revelation of the leaks to Szijjártó's defensive response, and then quickly to widespread condemnation from other European leaders, emphasizing the gravity of the alleged collaboration.

Initial Leak and InvestigationMarch 31 morning

Investigative media outlets VSquare and TheInsider publish leaked audio revealing alleged discussions between Szijjártó and Lavrov regarding EU sanctions.

Szijjártó's ResponseMarch 31 early afternoon

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó acknowledges contact with Russian officials but dismisses the leaks as uninteresting or foreign interference, claiming he only reiterated public stances.

European CondemnationMarch 31 late afternoon/evening

European leaders, including those from Poland and Ireland, issue strong condemnations of Szijjártó's alleged actions, calling them 'repulsive' and 'sinister'.

European Leaders Condemn Hungarian FM Szijjártó Over Leaked Russia Talks on EU Sanctions

Why this matters

The Story

What sources agree on

Key claims4 agreed · 1 unverified

Where they diverge

Coverage gaps

Coverage matrix(14 sources)

The Story

Source Diversity

Source Diversity

Political spectrum

Sources

Polish and Irish leaders condemn Hungarian foreign minister’s alleged links to Russia

Sybiha calls on EU to assess Szijjarto's close contacts with Lavrov

Coverage Timeline

„Stehe stets zu Ihren Diensten“: Ungarns Außenminister Szijjártó buckelt in Telefonat vor Lawrow [premium]

Objavljen snimak: "Mađarska sarađivala s Rusijom kako bi sa se...

„Sunt la dispoziția dvs.”: discuțiile secrete dintre ministrul maghiar de Externe și rusul Serghei Lavrov, dezvăluite de o anchetă de presă

Investigație VSquare/ Audio: Ungaria a colaborat cu Rusia pentru a scoate de pe lista sancțiunilor oligarhi, companii și bănci rusești: „Sunt întotdeauna la dispoziția dvs”

Lavrov Szijjártu: ‘Podsjećam na vaše obećanje...‘ Mađarski ministar: ‘Dat ćemo sve od sebe‘

Šef mađarske diplomatije umanjuje skandal s Lavrovom: Uhvatili ste me, rekao sam šta govorim i javno

Maďarský minister zahraničných vecí Péter Szijjártó priznal kontakt s Ruskom v čase diskusií EÚ o sankciách

Szijjártó Péter kifakadt: Ugyanazt mondtam a telefonon, amit nyilvánosan is

„Zu Ihrer Verfügung“: Ungarns Minister in Gespräch mit Lawrow

Magyar Péter a Lavrovval egyeztető Szijjártóról beszélt, majd a Btk.-ból emlegette a hazaárulást

Ο ΥΠΕΞ της Ουγγαρίας απορρίπτει καταγγελίες για διαρροή πληροφοριών προς τη Ρωσία

Liderii europeni, după informațiile că Szijjártó sifona la Lavrov: „Sinistru. A scos la iveală cât de bizară e această relație”

Polish and Irish leaders condemn Hungarian foreign minister’s alleged links to Russia

Sybiha calls on EU to assess Szijjarto's close contacts with Lavrov

Story evolution

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Why this matters

The Story

What sources agree on

Key claims4 agreed · 1 unverified

Where they diverge

Coverage gaps

Coverage matrix(14 sources)

Story evolution

Political spectrum