Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó allegedly requested that Russia intervene in Slovakia's 2020 parliamentary elections, according to a leaked conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that has sent shockwaves through European Union security circles.
The transcript, published Monday by Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, allegedly captures Szijjártó stating in February 2020: "It is of key importance to us that the coalition there would continue," referring to Slovakia's then social-democratic-nationalist government. He characterized them as "the only rational force" and warned that an opposition victory "would be a tragedy for Central European cooperation."
According to the transcript, Szijjártó requested that Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin meet with Slovak PM Peter Pellegrini, noting such contact would be "more important for their society than a visit to Washington." He also emphasized the importance of the far-right Slovak National Party crossing the 5% parliamentary threshold required for representation.
The journalist claims the conversation was recorded by an EU member state's national security service and obtained years later. Panyi stated that Szijjártó's ties with Lavrov are "well-known in top European political circles" because communications occur on open lines, making conversations accessible to intelligence services across the bloc.
