Hungarian Foreign Minister Told Russian Official He Removed 72 Entities From Sanctions, Asked for Help to Remove More
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó informed a senior Russian official that he had secured the removal of 72 Russian entities from European Union sanctions and subsequently requested Moscow's assistance in formulating arguments to remove additional entities, according to leaked transcripts. The conversation, detailed in an investigation by Euromaidanpress, reveals direct coordination between the Hungarian minister and Russian Deputy Energy Minister Sergey Mochalnikov on undermining EU restrictive measures.
The Leaked Conversation
According to the leaked transcripts, Péter Szijjártó told Russia's deputy energy minister during a call that he had successfully removed 72 entities from the EU sanctions list. The Hungarian foreign minister then asked Moscow to "write his arguments for removing more" entities from the sanctions regime. The report, which carries a 90% confidence rating from its source, states the request was for Russia to help him "find arguments for removing more."
Ongoing Allegations of Collusion
Separate reporting from The Guardian notes that allegations continue to emerge claiming Szijjártó has "in effect colluded with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to undermine European decision-making during the war." These allegations, which the editorial states have been dismissed by Szijjártó himself, were published with 70% confidence. The Guardian's piece contextualizes these claims within a broader editorial calling for Europe's steadfast support of Ukraine.