The leading challenger to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Hungary’s upcoming elections has called for an investigation into what he described as a possible act of treason, after allegations that confidential EU information may have been shared with Moscow.
Péter Magyar, a conservative anti-corruption campaigner mounting the most serious challenge to Orbán’s 16-year grip on power, said the claims pointed to collusion with Russia at the highest levels of government.
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Posting on social media on Monday, Magyar said: “If confirmed, this would amount to treason, which carries a potential life sentence. A future TISZA government will immediately investigate the matter.”
He also said the government appeared to be colluding with Russia, “thereby betraying Hungarian and European interests.”
Orbán on Monday lashed out at allegations in The Washington Post that his foreign minister had passed sensitive information about EU negotiations to Russia, AFP reported.
The Washington Post quoted several serving or former European security officials as saying Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly called his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during breaks in EU ministerial meetings to give him “direct reports on what was discussed” and suggest possible courses of action.
Orbán rejected the allegations, saying on Facebook that “eavesdropping on a member of government is a serious attack on Hungary,” and added that he had asked the justice minister to investigate.
The allegations, which have not been independently verified, have sparked concern in Brussels, where officials are already wary of Hungary’s close ties with Moscow.
European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper described the reports as “greatly concerning.” She said a relationship of trust between member states and EU institutions was fundamental to the bloc’s work, and that the Commission had called on Budapest to provide clarifications.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the claims in the US newspaper “should not surprise anyone.”
“We have suspected this for a long time,” Tusk wrote on X on Sunday.
Independent opinion polls, according to AFP, suggest Orbán is in a weakened position ahead of the vote, despite support from both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
