Hungary's foreign minister Peter Szijjarto speaks to the press before the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on February 23rd, 2026. Speaking in Warsaw, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said it was clear Hungary was “dependent” on Russia when it came to positions it adopted at EU level. The criticism followed the release of an audio recording which purports to capture a phone call between Hungary’s foreign minister Peter Szijjarto and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, indicating a close working relationship between the pair. Taoiseach Micheál Martin listens as Polish prime minister Donald Tusk speaks during a joint press conference after their meeting in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday. Tusk, a centre-right prime minister, said the phone call amounted to evidence of “political collaboration”.

Source: The Irish Times March 31, 2026 18:01 UTC