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A group of investigative journalists on Tuesday released a recording of a phone call between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in which Szijjártó offered to assist in removing a Russian oligarch’s sister from EU sanctions at Lavrov’s request.
In the 94-second recording published on YouTube and disclosed by the investigative outlet Insider, Lavrov asked Szijjártó to help remove Gulbahor Ismailova — the sister of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov — from the EU’s sanctions list.
“I am calling at the request of Alisher, and he just asked me to remind you that you were doing something about his sister,” Lavrov told Szijjártó. The Hungarian minister responds by saying that “together with the Slovaks, we are submitting a proposal to the European Union to delist her.”
The recording comes as Szijjártó faces controversy following a report by the Washington Post that he has been sharing sensitive information with Russia during Foreign Affairs Council meetings in Brussels.
The scandal has emerged as Hungary prepares for parliamentary elections on 12 April, with foreign interference and the government’s close ties to Moscow among the key campaign issues.
Szijjártó has defended his actions, arguing that speaking with Russian officials before and after such meetings is part of routine diplomatic practice.
The conversation between Szijjártó and Lavrov was recorded on 30 August 2024 by unknown parties, after Szijjártó returned from Saint Petersburg to Budapest.
Szijjártó told Lavrov that he would submit a proposal to remove Ismailova’s name from the EU sanctions list “next week,” and “as the new review period begins, it will be put on the agenda — we will do our best to get her off,” Szijjártó said.
Under EU rules, sanctions must be renewed every six months by unanimity. Ismailova, along with Russian businessman Viacheslav Moshe Kantor and sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov, was removed from the EU sanctions list in March 2025.
The European Union severed political ties with Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has urged member states to gradually phase out Russian fossil fuels.
Hungary and Slovakia have maintained regular high-level contacts with Russian officials and continue to import significant volumes of Russian energy.
Following the publication of the recording, Szijjártó downplayed the incident and accused foreign intelligence services of tapping his phone.
“It has been known for some time that foreign secret services — with the active participation of Hungarian journalists — have been intercepting my phone conversations. Today, the eavesdroppers made another great ‘discovery’: they proved that I say the same thing in public as on the phone. Nice work!” he wrote.
The minister added that his government had never agreed to sanction entities critical to Hungary’s energy security and had opposed listing individuals when sanctions served no clear purpose. “We will continue to adhere to this approach in the future,” he said.
The European Commission has said earlier that the allegations regarding Szijjártó’s conduct during Foreign Affairs Council meetings are a matter of concern and require clarification from Budapest.
In the recording, Lavrov also told Szijjártó that the Hungarian minister has been receiving extensive coverage in Russian media.
“Did I say something wrong?” Szijjártó asked.
“No. They were just saying that you are pragmatically fighting for the interests of your country,” Lavrov replied.
