Hungarian foreign minister has been briefing Russia on EU meetings – WP

The Washington Post has reported that Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has been regularly calling his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in between EU Council meetings to brief him on the course of discussions.

Source: The Washington Post, citing an EU security official, as reported by European Pravda; Hungarian news portal Telex

Details: According to the WP, the Hungarian minister has been regularly providing "live reports on what's been discussed" at EU meetings and information on possible solutions.

"Through such calls, every single EU meeting for years has basically had Moscow behind the table," the unnamed European official said.

For years, Viktor Orbán's government has provided Moscow with a crucial window into sensitive EU discussions, both through its officials and thanks to Russian hackers penetrating the computer networks of Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to several current and former European officials, including Ferenc Fresz, former head of Hungary's Cyber Defence Service.

The leader of the opposition Tisza party, Péter Magyar, reacted to The Washington Post's reporting by calling Szijjártó "a traitor to Hungary".

During a speech to supporters reported by Telex, Magyar said: "The fact that Hungary's foreign minister, a close friend of Sergei Lavrov, is reporting to the Russians on every EU meeting almost minute by minute is outright treason. This man has betrayed not only his country, but Europe as well."

Background:

• The WP has also reported, citing European intelligence, that Russian secret services have proposed staging an assassination attempt on Orbán in an effort to drum up greater public support as the ruling Fidesz party's ratings continue to fall.
• Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for 12 April, and the latest opinion polls show the opposition Tisza party leading by 14 percentage points.
• US President Donald Trump has once again publicly backed Orbán ahead of the elections, saying he hopes he "wins big".

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