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Countries of the European Union are increasingly excluding Hungary from discussions on sensitive issues due to fears that information could be passed to Russia, according to Politico.
To reduce the risk of leaks, EU members are turning to smaller, informal formats instead of full-scale meetings that include all member states, effectively limiting Budapest’s access to details.
“Generally, less loyal member states are the main reason why much of Europe’s key diplomacy now takes place in smaller groupings — E3, E4, E7, E8, the Weimar Triangle, NB8, JEF, and so on,” one official said.
These formats vary in size and composition. The Weimar Triangle includes France, Germany, and Poland; NB8 brings together Nordic and Baltic countries; and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) consists of 10 Northern European nations.
Security concerns and possible measures
One diplomat said that amid fresh allegations of information leaks to Russia, the EU may classify more documents and discussions.
While assigning “confidential” status is “not a panacea,” it could act as a deterrent against leaks and make investigations more automatic, the diplomat noted.
There are also discussions within NATO’s eastern flank grouping — the Bucharest Nine — about potentially excluding Hungary from the format next year due to disagreements over support for Ukraine.
Political context
Five EU diplomats said they were not surprised by the latest allegations, but noted that the bloc is unlikely to issue a formal response for now due to the potential impact on Hungary’s upcoming elections on April 12.
Any official reaction may depend on whether Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is re-elected.
“This undermines trust, cooperation, and the integrity of the European Union. It’s a sad situation. If he remains in power after the elections, the EU will have to find other ways to address this issue,” one diplomat said.
Background
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there had long been suspicions that Orbán’s government was sharing information with Russia.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that Hungary maintained close contacts with Moscow throughout the war, and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó allegedly used breaks during EU meetings to brief Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also told Politico that officials had been warned as early as 2024 about potential leaks and had already begun limiting the information shared in Hungary’s presence.
He added that ahead of the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, steps were taken to exclude the Hungarian delegation from key negotiations.
