Russia was effectively at negotiating table: Szijjártó regularly briefed Lavrov during EU meetings, - WP
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly called his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during breaks in EU meetings.
This was reported by The Washington Post, citing an EU security official, according to Censor.NET.
Regular calls
As noted, during these calls, Szijjártó provided Lavrov with "up-to-the-minute updates on what was being discussed" and possible solutions.
"Thanks to such calls at every EU meeting over the years, Moscow has effectively been at the negotiating table," notes the publication's source.
It is noted that for many years, Viktor Orbán’s government has provided Moscow with a vital opportunity to gain insight into sensitive discussions within the EU, both through its officials and through Russian hackers’ infiltration of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ computer networks. This was stated by several current and former European officials, including Ferenc Fress, former head of Hungary’s Cyber Security Service.
Visits to Moscow
Indeed, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Szijjártó has made 16 official visits to Moscow, the most recent of which took place on March 4, when he met with President Vladimir Putin.
