Conversations between Lavrov and Szijjártó regarding Russian sanctions were leaked to media. Hungarian Foreign Minister stated that he saw no problem with his actions. AUDIO
Audio recordings and transcripts of conversations between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó have emerged in the media, shedding light on their contacts against the backdrop of EU discussions regarding sanctions policy against Russia.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by VSquare, citing transcripts of the talks, as well as Szijjártó’s conversations with other Russian officials.
Discussion on exemption from sanctions
According to journalists, the telephone conversation took place on 30 August 2024 – shortly after Szijjártó’s visit to St Petersburg.
During the call, Lavrov recalled the request made by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov to have his sister, Gulbahor Ismailova, removed from the EU sanctions list.
"Listen, I’m calling at Alisher’s request… he asked me to remind you that you’re doing something about his sister," the publication quotes Lavrov as saying.
Szijjártó replied: "Yes, of course."
He also noted that Hungary, together with Slovakia, plans to submit a proposal to the EU to remove Ismailova from the sanctions list and "will do everything possible" to ensure this decision is adopted.
The article also notes that before the end of the conversation, Szijjártó spoke of a visit to Gazprom’s headquarters and told Lavrov: "I am always at your service."
Journalists point out that the quality of the recording suggests it may have been intercepted by the Russian side – Lavrov’s voice sounds clearer.
"I don’t see anything wrong with it"
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has reacted to the release of audio recordings of his conversations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and has once again criticised the EU’s sanctions policy towards Russia.
He claimed that he had allegedly been aware for some time that his telephone conversations were being tapped by "foreign intelligence services" in collaboration with journalists.
He commented ironically on the released recordings, stating that they merely "confirmed" that he expresses the same position both publicly and in private conversations.
"Excellent work!" wrote the head of Hungarian diplomacy.
Szijjártó reiterated that, in his view, the European Union’s sanctions policy is ineffective and causes more harm to the EU itself than to Russia.
He stated that Hungary would continue to block or not support sanctions against individuals and companies that Budapest considers important for the country’s energy security or "peaceful settlement".
The Hungarian Foreign Minister also noted that he regularly holds consultations on sanctions policy not only with EU countries but also with states outside the Union.
Szijjártó’s statement came after the media published audio recordings of his conversations with Sergey Lavrov, in which they discussed EU sanctions decisions and specific Russian citizens, including the issue of removing relatives of Russian oligarchs from sanctions lists.
What led up to this?
- The Washington Post reported that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly phoned his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during breaks in EU meetings.
- A source stated that in this way Szijjártó provided the Russian official with "real-time updates on what was being discussed" and potential decisions; at the same time, thanks to such communication, Moscow had, for many years, "effectively been at the negotiating table" at every meeting of the bloc.
- Subsequently, Politico reported that the European Union was excluding Hungary from discussions on sensitive issues due to the risk of information leaking to Russia.
