Hungary Cut Out of EU Inner Circle as Russia Leak Claims Explode

Concerns among European officials over potential information leaks to Russia have prompted the EU to quietly scale back the sharing of sensitive material with Hungary, while key discussions are increasingly being held in smaller, informal formats, POLITICO reports. According to multiple diplomats and officials, this approach reflects longstanding suspicions about the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, although no formal action is expected for now due to fears of influencing Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections on April 12.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk openly voiced these concerns, stating that reports of Hungarian officials relaying details from EU Council meetings to Moscow were unsurprising and aligned with suspicions held for years. He indicated that this lack of trust has influenced his own conduct in meetings, limiting his interventions to only what is strictly necessary. These remarks followed a report claiming that Hungary maintained close ties with Russia throughout the war in Ukraine, including allegations that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó used breaks during EU meetings to communicate updates to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Diplomatic sources say such concerns have contributed to the growing use of alternative discussion formats among like-minded countries, including smaller alliances and regional groupings such as the Weimar Triangle, Nordic-Baltic formats and other coalitions. These settings allow leaders to exchange views more freely without the risk of sensitive information being exposed. Similar precautions were reportedly taken in the past, including ahead of the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, when Hungary was excluded from certain informal exchanges.

Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed that warnings about possible information leaks from the Hungarian side had circulated as early as 2024, prompting some officials to limit what they shared in meetings attended by Hungarian representatives. There were even discussions within the Bucharest Nine group about potentially excluding Hungary over disagreements related to support for Ukraine.

Budapest has firmly rejected the allegations. Hungary’s Europe Minister János Bóka dismissed them as politically motivated “fake news” aimed at undermining the ruling Fidesz party ahead of the election. Szijjártó also denied the claims, describing them as unfounded conspiracy theories.

Despite the denials, some diplomats suggest that further safeguards may be introduced, including stricter classification of EU documents to discourage leaks and enable automatic investigations if breaches occur. While such measures are not seen as a complete solution, they could act as a deterrent.

Officials say the situation has eroded trust within the bloc, but any stronger response is likely to depend on the outcome of Hungary’s election. There is also caution that any move against Orban could be used by him during the campaign. At the same time, critics warn that close ties between Budapest and Moscow continue to raise serious questions about European unity, particularly as Hungary has repeatedly blocked key decisions, including a €90 billion financial package for Ukraine.