Explosive revelations: the Hungarian Foreign Minister allegedly provided Lavrov with a document about Ukraine. Szijjarto asked for details behind the scenes of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska
Investigative portal VSquare has published a new series of recordings capturing confidential discussions between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The material suggests that the two officials discussed strategies aimed at influencing the European process on Ukraine, including how Budapest could slow Kiev's progress towards joining the European Union.
Peter Szijjarto, meeting with Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. PHOTO FB Peter Szijjarto,
The investigation also mentions a conversation from 2024, which allegedly took place on the day of Orbán's visit to Kiev, according to the same portal, quoted by Daily News Hungary
Szijjártó reportedly informed Lavrov about the talks between the Hungarian Prime Minister and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Szijjártó reportedly informed Lavrov about the talks between the Hungarian Prime Minister and President Volodymyr Zelenski and tried to find out if Vladimir Putin would receive Orbán before a NATO summit. VSquare claims that the plan for an Orbán-Putin meeting would not have been communicated to Western allies.
S. Lavrov: Look, I wanted to call you and check on the compromise you reached with the European Union regarding the opening of accession negotiations for Ukraine. And there was information that the decisive role was played by the issue of languages of national minorities.
Szijarto: Absolute. That's how it was.
S. Lavrov: We are trying to get hold of the actual document, but…
Szijarto: I will send it to you. There is no problem.
(…)
S. Lavrov: Okay Peter, if you could send me the document I would appreciate it.
Szijarto: I will do it right away. I am sending it to my embassy in Moscow, and my ambassador will forward it to your chief of staff, and then it will be at your disposal.
VSquare cites sources as saying that the exchange of information would have gone beyond the usual level of diplomatic contacts, but these claims are not independently confirmed in the text.
The publication notes that, if confirmed, the revelations raise questions about how Hungary handles sensitive information in EU decision-making processes, particularly in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine.
In June 2025, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó met with Russian Deputy Prime Ministers Denis Manturov and Aleksandr Novak to discuss energy supplies. Shortly thereafter, on June 22, Szijjártó called Sergei Lavrov to inform him of his discussions with Russian officials, who had already provided Lavrov with a summary of the meeting. In the call, the Hungarian minister complained about the European Commission's “stupid and idiotic proposal” to reduce dependence on Russian energy and called for an extension of the Russian presidential decree allowing Hungary to pay for gas through the OTP bank.
Szijjártó tried to find out from Lavrov behind-the-scenes details of the summit in Alaska,
In the same call, Szijjártó tried to get behind-the-scenes details of the Alaska summit, which did not lead to an agreement on Ukraine but caused concern in Europe, as discussions on the future of European security took place without the participation of the EU, NATO or Kiev.
The Hungarian minister was particularly interested in the cancellation of the lunch between Putin and Trump and the quick departure of the Russian leader from the United States. Lavrov played down the episode, saying that lunch “it was never cancelled” and joking “American Gastronomic Art”.
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P. Szijjártó: I'm sorry to call you, it's probably already very late in Moscow.
S. Lavrov: No, it's only half past nine.
P. Szijjártó: But you had a very long day, I understand, very demanding.
S. Lavrov: Well, the longer the day, the longer we live.
P. Szijjártó: God, you're right. You are right. I just wanted to congratulate you, as I understand you have had some success. I can see how worried our European friends are, but I just wanted to make sure you know that Hungary supports all the efforts and all the achievements you have achieved today.
S. Lavrov: Yes, we appreciate the Prime Minister's statement, which was very direct. And I think it's something that other Europeans should also take into account.
P. Szijjártó: They usually do, and then frame it in the context of financial sanctions against us. So you know.
S. Lavrov: [râde]
P. Szijjártó: [râzând] That's how they do it. But may I ask you, Sergey, if everything went as it is presented in the media?
S. Lavrov: Well, the president made it very clear in the joint press conference that it was an extremely useful and successful summit. Trump then gave a separate interview to Fox News, in which he said all he had to: that on a scale of 1 to 10, he would give this summit a “10” and that the progress was very significant. There are one or two problems, as he said, and now it's Zelenskyy's turn to accept the deal. This is exactly what was discussed and he accepted this sequence. We will see what will be the result of Zelenskyy's visit to Washington on Monday.
P. Szijjártó: And can I ask if you've made any progress in economic cooperation with the Americans to relaunch economic and trade relations, you know, because it has a…
S. Lavrov: This was not discussed, Peter.
P. Szijjártó: It was not discussed, aha, ok.
S. Lavrov: Not.
P. Szijjártó: Good. So the economy was not on the agenda.
S. Lavrov: It is a matter that has been discussed in the past and the Americans have made it very clear that if they can take Ukraine out of the equation, there will be no limits.
P. Szijjártó: No limits. Aha. Good. But can we consider it more or less certain that, as long as these encouraging negotiations are going on, the Americans will not impose further sanctions?
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S. Lavrov: We did not discuss sanctions.
P. Szijjártó: Oh, you haven't discussed this at all?
S. Lavrov: Not. It was a very friendly conversation about many things, including, you know, some very personal ones.
We remind you that Péter Szijjártó held several telephone conversations with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, between 2023 and 2025, including one during a break of the European Council in which EU leaders were discussing the opening of accession negotiations for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
Szijjártó reportedly informed Lavrov of the sensitive discussions at the meeting and suggested that he could pass a document through diplomatic channels. The investigation states that the Hungarian minister would have described a mechanism by which the document would have reached the Hungarian embassy in Moscow, and would then be forwarded to Lavrov's cabinet.
The context is a tense one: Hungary, an EU and NATO member state, has frequently disagreed with its European partners regarding sanctions against Russia, military support for Ukraine and Kiev's European trajectory.
VSquare reports that the 2023 episode allegedly took place during the summit where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán threatened to veto the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. In a fragment of the transcript cited by the publication, Lavrov would have reacted positively to the information received, stating that sometimes “open blackmail” can be an effective solution.
In the end, the veto was not exercised: Orbán would have left the room before the vote, allowing the other 26 leaders to adopt the decision.
