France Says Orban Has Betrayed The EU

• 9.04.2026, 15:33

Hungarian PM reveals details of sanctions talks to Kremlin

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Hungary's talks with Russian officials on sanctions were a "betrayal of the solidarity needed between members of the European Union," writes Politico (translated by Charter97.org).

Late in March, Hungarian diplomatic chief Peter Szijjártó admitted to holding talks with Russia "on sanctions issues" while the EU was considering new economic measures against Moscow. His admission followed the leak of audio recordings published by a consortium of VSquare and The Insider showing Szijjártó holding friendly talks with senior Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin.

Barro confirmed that the leaks "called into question the integrity of our meetings." The European Commission earlier called the leaks "very worrying." There has been no formal EU reaction yet, but the flow of confidential information to Hungary has been significantly reduced and leaders' meetings are now held in smaller formats.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long been considered one of the most pro-Russian European leaders. Budapest and Moscow signed an agreement in December 2025 to expand economic, trade, energy and cultural cooperation.

Sijjártó has rejected the accusations, calling them foreign interference, especially against the backdrop of this weekend's parliamentary elections in Hungary. Orban faces serious competition from Peter Magyar of the Tisza party, which is leading in most polls.