00:02The European Commission has called on Hungary to clarify reports claiming Hungarian foreign
00:08minister Peter Sijarto regularly shared sensitive information from European Union meetings to his
00:13Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The reports regarding the Hungarian foreign minister allegedly
00:21disclosing to his Russian counterpart the closed-door ministerial-level discussion in the
00:27Council are greatly concerning and a relationship of trust between member states and between
00:32them and the institution is fundamental for the work of the EU and we expect the Hungarian
00:41government to provide the clarifications. First reported by the Washington Post several current
00:47and former European security officials were cited saying Sijarto regularly calls Lavrov during breaks
00:53in European Council meetings with direct reports on what was discussed. The Hungarian government
00:59denied the allegations calling them fake news. The reports are explosive as EU member states are bound
01:06by the principle of sincere cooperation and the content of the meetings is understood to be
01:11confidential. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was among the first to condemn the revelations
01:16saying they came as no surprise. The reports emerged as political tensions rise ahead of Hungary's
01:23parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government is one of the few in Europe to
01:28maintain regular ties with the Kremlin. His Fidesz party faces a strong challenge from opposition leader
01:34Peter Magyar's TISA party which is leading in opinion polls.
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