Von der Leyen to demand urgent explanation from Orbán over joint actions with Russia against Ukraine

In response to the release of fresh details of conversations between the Hungarian and Russian foreign ministers confirming that Hungarian vetoes against Ukraine in the EU were coordinated with Russia, the European Union will demand an urgent explanation from the Hungarian government.

Source: Paula Pinho, Chief Spokesperson for the European Commission, on 9 April, as reported by European Pravda

Details: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will raise the issue of Hungary's coordination with Russia on anti-Ukrainian actions in the EU at the level of the leaders of member states.

Pinho said the revelations in the journalistic investigation underline the troubling possibility that the government of an EU member state, Hungary, coordinated with Russia, which would amount to actively working against the security and interests of the EU and all its citizens.

She described the situation as extremely alarming.

Pinho said the government of the member state concerned has to provide an urgent explanation and added that President Ursula von der Leyen will also raise the issue at leaders' level.

Later, European Pravda sources said that this time, European institutions are genuinely deeply angered by the released facts of direct cooperation with the aggressor state Russia by one of the EU member states on issues directly related to the European Union's internal policy.

Therefore, regardless of the outcome of Hungary's parliamentary elections on 12 April, whether incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wins or loses, the issue of the current government's conduct and its de facto subordination to Moscow will be raised at the next meeting of EU leaders.

The European Union must show Hungary that such activity is completely unacceptable, sources told European Pravda.

Background:

• The European investigative journalism project VSquare released new details of conversations between Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that confirmed that Hungary's use of its EU veto was coordinated with Russia.
• The first part of the investigation established, among other things, that at Lavrov's request Szijjártó had sought the removal from the EU sanctions list of a relative of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
• Recently, details were also leaked of a conversation between Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin that took place in autumn 2025.
• In European capitals friendly to Ukraine, the revelations concerning the coordination between Budapest and Moscow had been described as outrageous and as posing a threat to European security.

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