In social media posts made in both English and Hungarian earlier today, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó commented on The Insider’s recent report about his telephone conversations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, effectively confirming their authenticity.
In his statement, Szijjártó alleged that his phone calls were being intercepted by “foreign intelligence services, with the active involvement of Hungarian journalists,” and added that the investigation merely proved “that I say the same publicly as I do on the phone.”
He also repeated his position on sanctions against Russia, saying he considers the European Union’s policy to be a “failure” that is “causing more harm to the EU than to Russia.” According to Szijjártó, Budapest will not support restrictions against companies and individuals important to Hungary’s energy security, and it intends to maintain that position going forward.
A screenshot of Szijjártó's tweet, published after the release of The Insider's investigation on March 31, 2026
Earlier today, The Insider, along with its investigative partners FRONTSTORY, VSquare, Delfi Estonia, and ICJK, published an investigation based on the transcripts and audio recordings of phone conversations between Szijjártó and Lavrov. In them, the Hungarian foreign minister promised to work to remove a number of Russian individuals from sanctions lists, including the relatives of billionaire Alisher Usmanov. Szijjártó also provided his Russian counterpart with details of closed discussions within EU institutions.
The joint investigation showed that Hungary and Slovakia blocked or delayed the adoption of EU sanctions packages targeting Russian interests while simultaneously seeking exemptions allowing them to continue purchasing Russian natural resources. In one of the conversations, Szijjártó told a Russian official that he was “doing his best” to have the 18th sanctions package repealed and even asked for arguments he could use in order to justify his stance by appealing Hungary’s national interest.
