Hungary's negotiations with Russian officials regarding sanctions were "a betrayal of the solidarity necessary between European Union members." This was stated by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, as reported by UNN with reference to Politico.
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Late last month, Hungary's top diplomat, Péter Szijjártó, admitted to speaking with Russian officials "on issues related to sanctions" as the EU considered new economic measures targeting Moscow.
Szijjártó confessed after an audio recording, published by a consortium including VSquare and TheInsider, showed him holding friendly talks with high-ranking officials, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin.
When asked by France Inter whether the leaks prompted Barrot to withhold certain information during meetings of European foreign ministers, the French minister replied that they did indeed "call into question the honesty of our discussions."
"We must remain united," Barrot added.
Last month, the European Commission called the leaks a matter of "very serious concern." While there has been no official European response, the EU has restricted the flow of sensitive materials to Hungary, and as a result, leaders are meeting in smaller groups.
The publication adds that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long been one of Europe's most pro-Russian leaders. Budapest and Moscow signed an agreement in December to expand economic, trade, energy, and cultural ties between the two countries, according to documents drafted by the Russian government and obtained by POLITICO.
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Szijjártó dismissed the revelations as foreign interference, with only a few days remaining until Hungary's parliamentary elections on Sunday. Orbán faces a tough fight against his rival Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party holds a significant lead in most polls.