European officials said Monday that allegations that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó had passed sensitive information about EU negotiations to Russia were “greatly concerning.”
The Washington Post reported this weekend that Szijjártó regularly called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during breaks in EU meetings to give “direct reports on what was discussed” and suggest possible courses of action.
Szijjártó has dismissed the allegations as “fake news” and “senseless conspiracy theories.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also slammed the Washington Post report, suggesting that European intelligence officials may have wiretapped Szijjártó.
“Eavesdropping on a member of government is a serious attack on Hungary,” Orbán wrote on Facebook, adding that he had asked Hungary’s justice minister to launch an investigation.
European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said the bloc expects Hungary to provide clarification about the allegations found in the Washington Post report.
A “relationship of trust between member states, and between them and the institution, is fundamental for the work of the EU,” Hipper said.
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