Russian intelligence has officially proposed to stage an assassination attempt against Orban to help him win the elections. What else have we learned from the scandal between Brussels and Budapest?
"Extremely worrying" is how the European Commission described media reports that Hungarian representatives had revealed confidential information from ministerial meetings in Brussels to Moscow. "We expect the Hungarian government to provide explanations", said a spokeswoman for the European Commission.
"The Washington Post", citing sources from EU security services, reported that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó "regularly" spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during breaks between meetings of EU foreign ministers to report "live" on the topics discussed.
Did Russia plan to stage an assassination attempt on Orbán?
The American newspaper also reported on alleged support by Russian foreign intelligence for the current election campaign of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. According to the "Washington Post" Russian intelligence has officially proposed changing the "campaign paradigm" by staging an assassination attempt on the Hungarian Prime Minister to emphasize his "role as a victim." "Such an incident could change perceptions of the campaign - from the rational sphere of socio-economic issues to the emotional", related to sympathy for Orban, as well as the security, stability and protection of the political system, Russian intelligence operatives wrote in a report cited by "The Washington Post".
The very assumption that an attack on Orban could be staged highlights how much is at stake for Moscow in the Hungarian elections, the American media writes, recalling how the shooting of Donald Trump during the campaign in July 2024 consolidated support for him.
Tusk: The news "should not surprise anyone"
The German government also spoke of "very, very serious" accusations. The opposition in Hungary even described the revelations as "treason". In April, Orban's ruling party was threatened with electoral defeat, while the opposition, represented by Peter Magyar's "Tisa" party, is currently leading convincingly in opinion polls.
According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Polish government has long suspected that Hungary is passing information from the EU to Russia. Tusk said that the news "should not surprise anyone." In a post on the X platform, he wrote that "they have suspected this for a long time."
As early as October last year, reports emerged about a Hungarian spy network in Brussels. According to known information, Hungary has been pressuring its citizens working for the EU to carry out espionage activities for years, ARD writes. The secret agents are alleged to have operated in Brussels between 2012 and 2018, posing as diplomats from the Hungarian permanent representation.
Orban to investigate "wiretapping" of Szijjártó's phone
Szijjártó described the allegations as "conspiracy theories" and "fake news". In response, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that his foreign minister's phone calls had been tapped. The Hungarian justice minister will investigate this "serious blow against Hungary".
Orban announced the investigation after the pro-government newspaper "Mandiner" published an article alleging that foreign intelligence services had wiretapped Szijjártó with the help of Hungarian journalist Szabolcs Pani. The article contained an audio recording of a conversation between Pani and his source. Pani told the British "Guardian" that this was "a smear campaign aimed at discrediting me". According to the journalist, the Hungarian government installed wiretaps to record his conversation when it learned that he was working on revealing Szijjarto's connection with the Kremlin.
Szabolcs Pani is one of the most popular investigative journalists in Hungary, who is committed to shedding light on Russian influence in Hungarian politics. In 2024, Pani revealed that former Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini was trying to contact Moscow through the mediation of Viktor Orbán. According to Pani's investigation, Orbán then assigned the task of making the connection to Szijjarto, who was supposed to contact Sergei Lavrov. The journalist says that he had previously discovered that his mobile phone was being monitored by the "Pegasus" spyware.
Orban continues to block EU in Russia's interest
Budapest is Moscow's closest ally in the European Union. Viktor Orban has repeatedly blocked EU sanctions against Russia. He is currently, together with Slovakia, blocking a €90 billion loan for Ukraine that was approved by state leaders in December.
The Hungarian prime minister came under sharp criticism at last week's EU summit. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Orban of "a gross breach of loyalty to member states" and threatened that his actions "will have consequences".