The European Union has quietly frozen Hungary out of sensitive policy discussions following revelations that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó systematically shared confidential information with Moscow for years, multiple EU diplomats confirmed to news outlets over the weekend.
The extraordinary measure—effectively treating a member state as a security risk—marks an unprecedented fracture in the bloc's unity at a moment when European cohesion faces its greatest test since World War II. To understand today's headlines, we must look at yesterday's decisions: the EU has never before excluded a member government from classified deliberations during wartime on the continent.
According to a Washington Post investigation, Szijjártó allegedly called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during breaks at EU meetings to brief him on discussions among European leaders and suggest possible courses of action for Russian authorities.
"Every single EU meeting for years has basically had Moscow behind the table," a senior European security official told the Post, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of intelligence matters.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has emerged as one of Hungary's most vocal critics, stated bluntly: "The news that Orbán's people inform Moscow about EU Council meetings in every detail shouldn't come as a surprise." He added that he now speaks "sparingly" in meetings where Hungarian officials are present.
The practical implications are severe. EU sources indicate that Hungary has been systematically excluded from working groups dealing with sanctions policy, military aid to , and intelligence sharing since late February. When sensitive topics arise in formal Council sessions, discussions are postponed to informal gatherings that cannot attend.
