Investigative journalists from The Insider, VSquare and other media outlets have released a recording they say shows Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. On it, he tells his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that he will do what he can to block the package of EU sanctions. In another conversation, he should have promised that, together with Slovakia, he would push for the name of the sister of Russian oligarch Ališer Usmanov to disappear from the EU sanctions list. According to President Petr Pavel, the Czech Republic should reevaluate relations with Hungary. In response to Pavlo’s words, the head of diplomacy Petr Macinka (Motorists) said that the foreign policy of the country is determined by the government, not the head of state.
A group of investigative journalists released a recording of a telephone conversation between Szijjártó and Lavrov on Tuesday. The 94-second recording is now available on YouTube, investigative website Insider has revealed. In it, Lavrov asks Szijjártó for help in removing Gulbahor Ismailova, the sister of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, from the list of EU sanctions, writes the Euronews website.
“I’m calling at Ališer’s request, and he just asked me to remind you that you did something about his sister,” Lavrov told Szijjártó. The Hungarian minister replied that “together with the Slovaks, we are submitting a proposal to the European Union to remove it from the list”.
The conversation between Szijjártó and Lavrov was recorded on 30 August 2024 by unknown persons after Szijjártó’s return from St. Petersburg to Budapest.
Szijjártó told Lavrov that “next week” he would present a proposal to remove Ismail’s name from the EU sanctions list and “once the new review period starts, it will be on the agenda. We will do everything to get it removed,” Szijjártó said.
The minister downplays his behaviour
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After the recording was published, Szijjártó downplayed the incident and accused foreign intelligence services of tapping his phone.
“It has been known for a long time that foreign secret services – with the active participation of Hungarian journalists – are listening to my phone calls. Today, the eavesdroppers made another big ‘discovery’: they proved that I say the same thing in public as I do on the phone. Great job!” he wrote
The minister added that his government had never agreed to impose sanctions on entities that are key to Hungary’s energy security, and that it opposed putting individuals on the sanctions list unless there was a clear purpose. “We will stick to this approach in the future,” he said.
Pavel called for a reassessment of relations with Hungary
In response to the published call, President Petr Pavel said that the Czech Republic should reevaluate relations with Hungary, including what information Prague will share with Budapest. According to the head of state, if an EU member state shares sensitive information with Moscow, this is unacceptable and threatens domestic security.
“I consider it completely unacceptable that a member state of the EU and NATO circumvents the rules in such a way and shares sensitive information with our adversary, if not classified,” Pavel told Czech Television. According to him, Hungary is weakening collective security. “On a practical level, at least from my point of view, this should mean the limitation of all relations with (Foreign Minister) Péter Szijjártó, because he is completely untrustworthy. And (Prime Minister) Viktor Orbán certainly knew about it. I think that such things simply cannot just go away,” answered Pavel when asked how the Czech Republic should react.
Foreign policy is determined by the government, not the president. Therefore, his views are not relevant, said Foreign Minister Macinka in response to Pavlov’s words.
Hungary continues to maintain relations with Russia
Under EU rules, sanctions must be extended every six months by unanimous decision. Ismail was removed from the EU sanctions list in March 2025, along with Russian businessman Vyacheslav Mosh Kantor and Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarov.
The European Union severed political ties with Russia following its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and called on member states to phase out the use of Russian fossil fuels.
Hungary and Slovakia maintain regular high-level contacts with Russian officials and continue to import significant volumes of Russian energy.
Szijjárto is close to the Russians
The recording comes as Szijjártó is embroiled in controversy after The Washington Post reported that he passed sensitive information to Russia at Foreign Affairs Council meetings in Brussels.
Szijjártó defended his actions, saying that talks with Russian officials before and after such meetings are part of normal diplomatic practice.
The European Commission has previously said that the allegations regarding Szijjártó’s behavior during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting are cause for concern and require an explanation from Budapest.
The scandal broke as Hungary prepares for parliamentary elections to be held on April 12. Among the key themes of the election campaign are foreign interference and the government’s close ties to Moscow.
