Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka
Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists’ Party) is not giving much credence to reports in The Washington Post that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly called Russia during breaks to brief them on negotiations at European Union meetings. FM Macinka said he views the report more as an attempt to damage the ruling Hungarian party Fidesz just before the elections.
Opposition politicians described the Hungarian minister’s behavior as a dirty trick, which comes as little surprise to them.
As The Washington Post reported, Péter Szijjártó provided his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, with up-to-date information on what was being discussed and briefed him on possible solutions.
Thanks to these calls, “Moscow has essentially been present at the table at virtually every EU meeting in recent years,” said an EU security official cited by the newspaper. Péter Szijjártó denied the newspaper’s report.
FM Macinka said he does not overestimate The Washington Post’s articles and speculation. “They have never been among the most reliable sources of information; they have often had to retract their articles or correct them after the fact. Given their strongly left-wing bias, I view this article as more of an attempt to undermine one party in Hungary just before the elections,” he said.
Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for mid-April; Péter Szijjártó is a member of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party.
ODS Chairman Martin Kupka noted that Péter Szijjártó visited FM Macinka in January as his first foreign guest. “This pandering to Hungary and Slovakia, combined with our failure to fulfill NATO commitments, rightly makes us, in the eyes of our partners, a candidate for another Kremlin lackey,” Martin Kupka wrote on X.
Takže mezi Budapeští a Moskvou jede důvěrná a těsná spolupráce. A víte, co je zajímavé? Peter Szijjártó přijel za Petrem Macinkou hned v půlce ledna jako úplně první zahraniční návštěva. Tohle nadbíhání Maďarsku a Slovensku z nás v kombinaci s neplněním závazků NATO právem dělá v… pic.twitter.com/j8nNRw3RBq
— Martin Kupka (@makupka) March 22, 2026
Former Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (ODS) wrote that the described actions would be in direct contradiction to the fundamental trust upon which EU cooperation is based. “At the same time, we see that Hungary is blocking a whole range of anti-Russian sanctions,” he stated. According to the politician, it is all the more scandalous when Babiš openly supports such people and aligns himself with Viktor Orbán.
If the information were confirmed, it would constitute an exceptionally serious breach of trust among EU member states, said Pirate Party chairman Zdeněk Hřib.
“Negotiations on joint approaches, especially regarding security and foreign policy, are based on the principle of loyal cooperation. Leaking any information to Russia would directly undermine this principle and weaken Europe’s ability to act in unison,” he stated. In his view, the cabinet should unequivocally distance itself from such behavior and stand unquestionably on the side of its allies.
Instead of spreading lies and fake news, come to Budapest to support the opposition! Last time it worked… for us… https://t.co/SKg1Hfi1ud
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) March 22, 2026
Jan Bartošek (KDU-ČSL), a member of the Chamber of Deputies’ Security Committee, speaks of a betrayal by Hungary against the Czech Republic and all of Europe. “In other words—is the Hungarian minister a Russian spy? Personally, I think Western countries will stop trusting us Eastern Europeans precisely because of such behavior. This is already evident in the proposal for a two-speed Europe. The consequences are clear. It plays into the Russians’ strategic plan to divide Europe and take us back,” he said.
TOP 09 (Tradition Responsibility Prosperity – editor’s note) leader Matěj Ondřej Havel wrote that the Visegrád Group (V4)—comprising Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary—is politically dead to him. “You can not sit on two chairs. Anyone who helps the Kremlin, whether knowingly or out of stupidity, is simply standing against Europe and, by extension, against the interests of our country,” he added.
TOP 09 Vice-Chairman Marek Ženíšek stated that the information does not surprise him. “I have long said that Hungary, under Viktor Orbán’s leadership, functions as a Russian Trojan horse in Europe and Russia’s fifth column. Viktor Orbán shakes hands with Vladimir Putin as if on a conveyor belt, and Hungary repeatedly sides with the aggressor in votes,” Ženíšek said.
Ženíšek considers informing Russia about EU negotiations to be a scandal of enormous proportions. “What makes it even worse is that (Prime Minister) Andrej Babiš (ANO) is supporting Viktor Orbán in the current election campaign, and our government looks up to the regime in Hungary,” he added.
Via irozhlas.cz; Featured image: Gov.pl, via Wikimedia Commons
The post Foreign Minister Accused of Briefing Russia: Czech Politician Sees It as Anti-Fidesz Plot appeared first on Hungary Today.
