The conversation did not stop at Ismailova. Both officials began criticizing the European Union and the countries that supported Ukraine. Lavrov called Josep Borrell, the former High Representative for European Foreign Policy, “the biggest disappointment,” while Szijjártó compared him to “the Biden of Europe.”
A little over an hour after returning from St. Petersburg on August 30, 2024, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó received a phone call from his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. In the conversation, Lavrov complimented Szijjártó, telling him that all the Russian media had mentioned his visit in high tones. “Did I say something wrong?” Szijjártó asked in a somewhat flirtatious tone. Lavrov laughed and assured him: “No, no, no. They just said that you are pragmatically fighting for your country’s interests.” But the real reason for the call was a concrete request: Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov wanted his sister, Gulbahor Ismailova, removed from the European Union’s sanctions list. Szijjártó promised to help. “Yes, of course,” Szijjártó said. “Together with the Slovaks, we will submit the request to the EU next week. With the start of the new sanctions review period, the issue will be on the agenda and we will do everything to remove it from the list.”
Lavrov was pleased, expressing gratitude for “the support and fight for equality in all areas.” And this is just the beginning of a long investigation and investigation by The Insider, along with other partner media outlets, which have investigated Hungary’s behavior and the major blow that the European Union has received from within the offices of the bureaucracy.
AN UNCONVENTIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIPLOMATS
The conversation did not stop at Ismailova. Both officials began to criticize the European Union and the countries that supported Ukraine. Lavrov called Josep Borrell, the former High Representative for European Foreign Policy, “the biggest disappointment,” while Szijjártó compared him to “the Biden of Europe.” He even shared with Lavrov details from the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, giving him information that could be considered highly sensitive.
A European intelligence official, reviewing the transcripts and audio recordings, commented: “If you remove the names and show these conversations to any intelligence officer, they will swear that this is a transcript of an agent working for the Kremlin.” These conversations clearly document a behavior by Szijjártó that goes beyond the bounds of normal diplomacy: a combination of servility and active coordination with an aggressor state in the midst of an open war.
THE CONNECTION WITH THE KREMLIN AND THE PRICE OF FRIENDSHIP
Szijjártó was not just an interlocutor: he was decorated with the Order of Friendship by Russia in December 2021, one of the highest honors that can be given to a foreigner, physically delivered by Lavrov himself. The comparison with Kim Philby, the famous KGB spy in Great Britain, is not an exaggeration: both received high privileges from Russia for secret services.
OPERATION TO REMOVE SANCTIONS
Szijjártó and Hungary played a key role in lifting sanctions on Kremlin-linked individuals. Gulbahor Ismailova, Usmanov’s sister, was removed from the EU list in March 2025. Viatcheslav Kantor and Mikhail Degtyaryov were also spared from restrictive measures. EU countries must agree on any extension or extension of sanctions, giving Hungary and Slovakia a huge advantage. In March 2026, during a review of sanctions, Hungary and Slovakia tried to remove Alisher Usmanov from the list, with the support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who sent a letter defending the oligarch and his sisters.
DEFENSE OF RUSSIAN SECRET OIL FLEET
In other conversations, Szijjártó briefed Pavel Sorokin, the Russian deputy energy minister, on efforts to rescue Russian companies that were using the secret oil fleet to evade the embargo. In a phone call on June 30, 2025, Szijjártó stated: “I have removed 72 out of 128 Russian entities from the list, I am trying to continue… If your staff can help me show the negative effects directly for Hungary, I would be very grateful.” This exchange shows that the Hungarian minister was actively seeking Russian views to undermine EU sanctions.
POLITICAL IMPACT AND CONSEQUENCES
Inside Hungary, this engagement serves to strengthen the anti-Ukrainian narrative and use sanctions as leverage in negotiations with the EU. But for Europe, it weakens the sustainability of sanctions and strengthens Russia’s war economy. Szijjártó has faced fierce public backlash, with protesters calling him a “traitor” and a “Russian spy” at rallies. His response: just a wry mention of the price of gas and oil.
A LONG-TERM AND SYSTEMATIZED STRATEGY
Since 2022, Hungary has been using every EU sanctions package to protect individuals and companies linked to Russia, often with the support of Slovakia: Patriarch Kirill and UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia. Nikita Mazepin and the Prigozhin family. Russian sports clubs and the Russian Olympic Committee.
In March 2026, Slovakia and Hungary attempted to influence the renewal of the sanctions list, demanding the removal of Usmanov and Fridman, but the EU did not meet their demands. Investigations and transcripts obtained by a consortium of journalists – including VSquare, FRONTSTORY, Delfi Estonia, The Insider and ICJK – document a disturbing phenomenon: an EU and NATO member, Hungary, actively acting in Russia’s interests. This strategy, which began with individual vetoes, has turned into a systematic and coordinated lobbying to protect pro-Kremlin oligarchs and companies, sending a clear signal of Russian influence within European institutions. (Vox News)