Is Hungary leaking EU secrets? A crisis of trust in Brussels

Summary

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Brussels Playbook Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode: Is Hungary leaking EU secrets? A crisis of trust in Brussels
Date: March 23, 2026
Host: Zoya Sheftalovich
Co-host/Guest: Nick Winicore, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Duration: ~15 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles a major trust crisis in the EU, following explosive allegations that Hungary may be leaking sensitive EU information to Russia. The hosts break down the implications for EU decision-making, discuss how EU leaders are navigating pressure from Donald Trump over Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, and recap a busy weekend of elections across Europe. Throughout, the tone is brisk, informed, and laced with the hosts’ signature wry humor.

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1. Hungary Allegedly Leaking EU Secrets to Russia

Key Discussion Points

• Washington Post Exposé: Over the weekend, The Washington Post reported that Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, may have been sharing secret EU meeting details with Russia—going so far as to provide live updates to the Russian foreign minister during EU summits.
  • "It's pretty astonishing stuff." – Zoya Sheftalovich [01:31]
• Polish PM’s Public Confirmation: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk publicly supported the core allegation, stating on X/Twitter that this is something widely suspected.
  • “Ye, yeah, this is something that we have kind of known has been happening.” – Zoya Sheftalovich [02:20]
• No Clear Laws Against Leaks: While EU meetings have attempts at restrictiveness (e.g., no aides, no phones), there’s no formal law or penalty for leaders leaking information.
  • “There's essentially no law punishing leaders for leaking...” – Nick Winicore [03:04]
• Shifting Sensitive Diplomacy: Due to concerns about leaks, real sensitive diplomacy is happening more in alternative formats outside EU structures (E3, E4, E7, Joint Expeditionary Force, Weimar Format).
  • “This is the reason why the real sensitive diplomacy is now increasingly happening outside the EU.” – Nick Winicore (quoting an official) [03:29]
• Hungary as the “Fox in the Hen House”: Orban is increasingly seen as a Kremlin proxy, especially after using his veto to block a €90 billion loan to Ukraine.
  • “Hungary may be acting on behalf of the Kremlin … kind of the fox in the hen house.” – Zoya Sheftalovich [04:20]
• Potential Reforms: In response, some propose raising confidentiality, classifying more documents and conversations, and introducing real consequences for leaks—even if that would cramp journalistic scooping.
  • “Maybe we should look at raising the level of confidentiality … and saying there's going to be repercussions for people who go and speak to the press.” – Nick Winicore [05:10]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the broader impact:
  "This really underscores the idea that … EU level decision making is in a lot of trouble." – Zoya Sheftalovich [04:39]

• On conflicting perspectives within Poland:
  “You have the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister really going guns blazing on social media against Orban … and having the President going the complete other way, ignoring this revelation, and that just shows you what's going on in Warsaw.” – Nick Winicore [06:49]

• On Hungary’s official response:
  "Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, has called this fake news and denied it, for whatever that's worth." – Nick Winicore [06:49]

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2. European Leaders and the Trump–Iran–Hormuz Dilemma

Key Discussion Points

• Summit Hijacked by Iran Crisis: The war in Iran and its fallout, including energy price spikes and the Strait of Hormuz’s closure, took over the European Council summit agenda.
  • “The war in Iran and the energy crisis that's ensued have kind of completely hijacked that summit…” – Nick Winicore [07:52]
• Managing Trump’s Demands: Trump has pressured Europe to join US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. European leaders are walking a tightrope—publicly rejecting direct military involvement, but quietly engaging in diplomacy to avoid antagonizing Trump.
  • "They just don't want to engage with him at all as much as possible. … They know that it doesn't end well." – Zoya Sheftalovich [08:29]
• Dependence on US Support for Ukraine: A key motivation for caution is Europe’s need for continued US support and intelligence regarding Ukraine.
  • "There's still so much to lose for Europe. … The US continues to provide crucial support..." – Nick Winicore [08:56]
• Backchannel Diplomacy: While declining overt intervention, EU countries (led by Mark Rutte and Emmanuel Macron) are supporting diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council and preparing other contributions (like a naval detachment) once the situation stabilizes.
  • “There's what they're doing behind the scenes, which is actually pledging support for clearing the Strait of Hormuz …” – Nick Winicore [09:39]
• Approach to Iran: EU High Representative Kayakalis directly contacted Iran’s foreign minister and Gulf partners over the weekend to urge de-escalation.
  • "Kayakalis, the EU's top diplomat, did speak directly to Iran's foreign minister..." – Nick Winicore [11:22]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On diplomatic choreography:
  “Real two tracks of kind of diplomacy—the public diplomacy … and what they're doing behind the scenes.” – Nick Winicore [09:39]
• On attempts to de-escalate:
  “Let's de-escalate by talking to Iran. … That is some conversation between the EU and Iran.” – Zoya Sheftalovich [11:00]

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3. Weekend Election Roundup: France and Germany

Key Discussion Points

• French Local Elections:
  • Socialists on the Rise Again: Emmanuel Gregoire (Socialist) likely to become Mayor of Paris, signaling a leftward shift.
    • “This is really kind of Paris, as I remember it, always slightly to the left.” – Nick Winicore [12:26]
  • Edouard Philippe’s Victory: Re-elected as Mayor of Le Havre, keeping his presidential ambitions alive.
    • “He was [Macron’s] prime minister, went off and formed his own center right sort of splinter party. … This certainly reignites … his presidential campaign.” – Nick Winicore [12:50]
  • National Rally Party: Mixed results. Lost key cities like Marseille, Toulon, and Nîmes, but possibly winning in Nice—traditionally a center-right stronghold.
    • “If they win in Nice, that would definitely be a major prize for the National Rally.” – Nick Winicore [13:35]
• German State Elections:
  • CDU Victory: In Rhineland-Palatinate, new Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Conservatives narrowly lead, offering a needed boost.
    • “He needs all the help he can get.” – Nick Winicore [14:12]
  • AfD Surge: The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) nearly doubles its vote share, raising concerns about their growing influence.
    • “…The AfD has done very well also, and they've almost doubled their vote share.” – Zoya Sheftalovich [14:15]

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4. Lighthearted Note: Barroso Turns 70

Key Discussion Points

• Jose Manuel Barroso, former European Commission President, celebrates his 70th birthday.
  • Now chair of Goldman Sachs International Advisors.
  • “Well, that is not too shabby, I would say, for old Barroso.” – Zoya Sheftalovich [14:51]
  • Not noted for public commentary on EU politics anymore: “He's keeping all the good stuff for Goldman Sachs.” – Nick Winicore [15:02]

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On EU secrecy and leaks:
  “If journalists are getting leaks, why shouldn't the Russians?” – Zoya Sheftalovich [03:11]

• On contradictory Polish responses:
  “It exposes the split within the Polish government.” – Nick Winicore [06:49]

• On political divide in Hungary’s scandal:
  “The fox may be in the hen house.” – Zoya Sheftalovich [04:39]

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Key Timestamps

• [01:31] – Allegations against Hungary for leaking to Russia
• [03:29] – Sensitive diplomacy shifting outside the EU
• [04:39] – “Fox in the hen house” analogy and Orban’s role
• [05:10] – Proposals for confidentiality reforms
• [06:49] – Split reactions within Polish leadership
• [07:52] – Iran crisis and energy shock at the EU Council
• [09:39] – Behind-the-scenes diplomacy with Trump
• [11:22] – EU engagement with Iran and attempt to de-escalate
• [12:26] – French local elections: Paris and Le Havre results
• [13:35] – National Rally’s mixed success in French cities
• [14:12] – Chancellor Merz’s win in Germany; AfD surge

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Tone & Takeaways

This episode blends sharp reporting with a breezy, conversational tone. The hosts don’t shy away from pressing questions about EU unity and security, offer context on complex diplomatic balancing acts, and wrap up with a look at Europe’s shifting electoral map—all while keeping the discussion brisk and accessible.

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For a quick yet deep morning dive into the pulse of Brussels and Europe’s capitals, this episode delivers on both the details and the dynamics.

Transcript

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[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Good morning. It's Monday, March 23rd, and this is the Brussels Playbook podcast. The Vibe today is declassified as a trust crisis embroils the EU after the prime minister of Poland accused Hungary of leaking sensitive information to Moscow. Also on the pod, Europe is trying to figure out how to manage Donald Trump's ego while pressure is building over the Strait of Hormu. And finally, Europe has been busy voting. This weekend we take you through some of the main results. I'm Zoya Sheftilovic and with me today is our chief foreign affairs correspondent, Nick Winicore. Hey, Nick.

[Nick Winicore]

Hey, Zoya.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

What did you have for dinner last night?

[Nick Winicore]

Wow, that was years ago. You really stumped me there. No recollection.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

I had a Portuguese tart, so I'm glad that I remember that and you remember nothing. Nick, let's talk about something that's really kind of heated up over the course of the weekend. The Washington Post published a pretty explosive story alleging that the Russians and the Hungarians were essentially colluding to prop up Viktor Orban's prime ministerial ambitions. And as part of that investigation, there was also a hint that maybe the Hungarians had been briefing the Russians about secret talks within the eu. It's pretty astonishing stuff.

[Nick Winicore]

Yeah. I mean, it's an explosive claim. This is something that we've definitely heard before, sort of in background talks that while we're being careful about what we say in front of Hungarian representatives. But here you have it black and white, black on white, with the foreign minister alleged to have given live updates to the Russian foreign minister during EU summits. That certainly sort of raises the egregiousness of what we're talking about here. And it's forcing some people to react.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Yeah. And it's not just like an anonymous official that's saying this in this Washington Post article. It's actually the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk went on to X last night and basically said, ye, yeah, this is Something that we have kind of known has been happening. We've done some reporting last night and into this morning, and you've spoken to some people who've said, yeah, this is absolutely something that we have known might be occurring.

[Nick Winicore]

Yeah. So we've had kind of different levels of reactions. We have some people saying, well, we kind of know this is the case. Then you have people saying, look, this is really what shows what's wrong with the EU format these days. And just as a reminder to the listeners, there's no law governing confidentiality during these meetings. Some of the meetings are in restricted formats, which means no aids, others are with no phones, but those are kind of attempts to limit leaks. There's essentially no law punishing leaders for.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

For leaking, which is kind of good news for you and me, because we, we go around asking everyone what they said in there and we start reporting stuff out. And we've had some pretty explosive stories, too. So, like, what's the problem, you know, with all of this? Some might say, you know, if the journalists are getting leaks, why shouldn't the Russians?

[Nick Winicore]

Yeah. So the problem is, this was from one national government official. He said, this is the reason why the real sensitive diplomacy is now increasingly happening outside the eu. And this person rattled off a number of different formats, E3, E4, E7, Joint Expeditionary Force Weimar format, and said that's where the real sensitive diplomacy, anything to do with security, with Ukraine negotiations, it's happening there because they're not having these discussions in front of what they called less loyal member states.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

This has been happening repeatedly because you and I were reporting on the European Council summit last week where EU leaders gathered with Viktor Orban in the room, Victor acting like a spoiler, essentially stopping the rest of the EU from issuing this 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine. I mean, this isn't just this that we're talking about here. There has been a general suspicion about the fact that Hungary may be acting on behalf of the Kremlin on some of these things that they are kind of the, the. The fox in the hen hole. Wait, is that how you say it?

[Nick Winicore]

The hen hole? It may be a pub in Melbourne, but I think you said the hen house. Right.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Well, the fox may be in the hen house is what people are saying about Victor Orban, but this is kind of. This really underscores the idea that that EU level decision making is in a lot of trouble. So it is a bit of a problematic precedent that's being set.

[Nick Winicore]

Absolutely. It's undermined by the veto, which can be wielded in a way that is kind of not with goodwill, as they're accusing Orban of doing. And it's also being undermined by the security aspect. We're saying we can't have serious sensitive discussions. And one of the things that came up in these chats just now, people reacting to this article saying, well, maybe we should look at raising the level of confidentiality of some of these meetings, of having certain documents, certain conversations classed as confidential, and saying there's going to be repercussions, repercussions for people who go and speak to the press.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

And as I'm saying, bad news for us.

[Nick Winicore]

As I'm saying it, I'm, I'm hating it, but that's one of the themes that's come out.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Yeah, but you know, over the weekend, Donald Trump publicly endorsed Orban again, calling him a fantastic guy, wishing him a big win, really, full throated support. And he posted a video for CPAC Hungary. That's that big Conservative Political Action Conference, the gathering of right wing politicians that's happening today, right, Nick?

[Nick Winicore]

That's right, yeah. It's become a big meeting point for Europe's nationalist right. And you have a real who's who of kind of far right or hard right figures. Marine Le Pen, Mateo Salvini, Geert Wilders, all expected in Budapest.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Yeah. And not only that, but we've got Carol Novrotsky, who's the Polish president, who is also planning to be in Budapest today. And it's kind of interesting that he's doing that because obviously on the one hand, his party, Law and Justice, they are friendly with Orban, you know, they were old buds going way back. But the flip side of it is that with these revelations that have come out about the Hungarians colluding potentially with the Russians, you know, that is not good news for. No, he is not a friend of the Kremlin. And even though he disagrees with the Prime Minister, with Donald Trump on a lot of topics, he definitely agrees with him on the need to ensure that the Russians don't actually get to complete their full scale invasion of Ukraine. But he sort of said, yeah, look, I'm, I'm still going. Nothing to see here.

[Nick Winicore]

Yeah, we should state that Peter Sizar, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, has called this fake news and denied it, for whatever that's worth. Yeah. I think another aspect of this is how much it exposes the split within the Polish government. You have the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister really going guns blazing on social media against Orban, saying, we've known this We've taken it into account and having the President going the complete other way, ignoring this revelation, and that just shows you what's going on in Warsaw.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Nick, our second story today, it's one that you've been working on. It's about basically how European leaders are trying to respond to Donald Trump's pressure over getting involved in this war in Iran, and particularly helping him reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Let's start briefly with, like, going back to last week at the European Council summit and also over this weekend. Really, this is what was dominant over the course of the last few days.

[Nick Winicore]

The war in Iran and the energy crisis that's ensued have kind of completely hijacked that summit and became the number one issue for the leaders to discuss there. Europe is obviously deeply affected by the high energy prices, and the discussion is now all about sort of what can bring them down. But behind the scenes, I would say the theme alongside all of that was Trump and how to deal and how to manage Trump. He's asking the European leaders to intervene. They rejected him earlier in the week. But the story is about the sort of quiet diplomacy to manage Donald Trump and sort of take the sting out of that rejection for him.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Yeah. And I think, you know, some of the reporting that I've done over the last few days has looked at the approach that European leaders have towards Trump. And the general takeaway that I have is basically they just don't want to engage with him at all as much as possible. They don't want to antagonize him. You know, there are some exceptions to this rule, like Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, but for the most part, the European politicians, they're not that interested in picking a fight with Trump because they know that it doesn't end well.

[Nick Winicore]

Yeah. And I think that's also because there's still so much to lose for Europe. Right. There's the support for Ukraine. The US continues to provide crucial support, logistics, intelligence sharing for Ukraine and Europe sort of essentially needs them on side there.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Yeah. And we had this story that our colleagues reported out of the US and out of Europe as well, saying that basically there had been an offer made by Moscow to the U.S. if the U.S. stopped sharing intelligence sharing stuff with Ukraine, that Russia would stop sharing with Iran. And the US administration seems to have rebuffed that offer and said no. But nonetheless, I mean, it was a real worry for EU politicians. Even the fact that such an approach had been made.

[Nick Winicore]

Absolutely. It kind of speaks to the real fear here, which is that there's a trade off between Iran and Ukraine and that the United States only has enough bandwidth for one conflict and can't be interested in the other. So the line that we're kind of reporting out here is all the efforts that the Europeans are making to keep Donald Trump onside to show him that we're supporting your aims in Hormuz. And what's interesting in the story is you show real two tracks of kind of diplomacy, the public diplomacy, which is quite critical in some cases, and also saying we're not going to get drawn into the war. But then there's what they're doing behind the scenes, which is actually pledging support for clearing the Strait of Hormuz and taking certain diplomatic initiatives at the United Nations Security Council to try to build a coalition to underpin a move to clear the straits. And we sort of looked at it and broke it down. Who is leading this push? And of course, it's Mark Rota. We know he's the big kind of Trump booster in Europe. He's been praising the war aims. But then there's Macron, who's been doing the work behind the scenes. Had two calls with President Trump last week. He's pledged a naval detachment into Hormuz as soon as the firing stops. And this is their way of trying to keep these kind of this strained relationship together.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

And this is something last week at that European Council summit, one of the things that the EU politicians were saying when they were talking about, you know, what we need to do as Europe in order to kind of contribute to winding this stuff down, there was this talk about we need to de escalate and that de escalation. The idea was like, not so much that you talk to Donald Trump or Israel to de escalate, but like, let's de escalate by talking to Iran. And you've got some reporting to show that that is happening now. That is some conversation between the EU and Iran.

[Nick Winicore]

Yeah. So over the weekend, Kayakalis, the EU's top diplomat, did speak directly to Iran's foreign minister. She also had talks with Qatar, a number of Gulf states. And I think the idea there is Europe doing its best via diplomacy to deescalate this. And that's one track. And then there's also this UN Security Council track, which I mentioned. I understand that a resolution has been submitted to the Security Council calling for the freeing up of the Strait of Hormuz. These are various initiatives that stop short of sending ships into the danger zone in the Strait of Hormuz.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Nick, let's Move on to our third topic of the day, which is a absolutely bumper crop of elections that have been happening around Europe over the course of the weekend. Let's start with the French local elections, which we saw on Sunday. And the kind of big headline news there is that the Socialist Party candidate, Emmanuel Gregoire is going to be looking pretty much like he's going to be the mayor of Paris.

[Nick Winicore]

Absolutely. This is kind of a return to form for my hometown in a way. In Paris. Saw reports of him getting on a bicycle and riding to the city Hall. This is really kind of Paris, as I remember it, always slightly to the left. And now they're, they're back in power.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

The other big kind of headline winner, Nick, is Edward Philippe. He has won reelection as mayor of Le Havre. And that's going to keep his presidential dreams alive.

[Nick Winicore]

Absolutely. Idol Philippe has been one of the potential successors to Emmanuel Macron for years now. He was his prime minister, went off and formed his own center right sort of splinter party. And this certainly reawakens, reignites some of the heat, the buzz around his presidential campaign.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

And let's turn to the far right because that's been the really big question of this election. How would the National Rally do in the ballot? So even it's got some mixed results. In Marseille, which is France's second biggest city, the National Rally candidate lost out to the incumbent mayor from the center left. In southern France, National Rally failed to take control of Toulon and Nim, but not so in Nice.

[Nick Winicore]

Yeah, and just to put a little color, I don't think they ever would have won in Marseille, which is really a very, very diverse city. And Toulon and Nime, you know, those are more kind of right leaning. But Nice has been a bastion of the center right held for a long time. And if they win in Nice, that would definitely be a major prize for the National Rally.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Yeah, but it wasn't just in France where there were elections. There was also a vote in the western German state of Rhineland Palatinate. And there the Chancellor Friedrich Merz conservatives ended up very narrowly looking like they've won. That's a much needed victory for Mertz.

[Nick Winicore]

He needs all the help he can get.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

You know, he may have seen off the challenge in Rhineland palatinate, but the AfD has done very well also, and they've all almost doubled their vote share. All right, Nick, that's just about it for us today. But we've got a special birthday today for someone who's turning the big seven zero. It's Jose Manuel Barroso.

[Nick Winicore]

Hey, remember him?

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

He was twice the president of the European Commission. Before that, he was the Portuguese Prime Minister. And now guess what he's doing Good

[Nick Winicore]

work if you can get it. He's chair of Goldman Sachs International Advisors.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Well, that is not too shabby, I would say, for old Barroso. He was back in Brussels just last week. He took part in a panel at the EPP's 50th anniversary event. So I hope they got him a cake.

[Nick Winicore]

Yeah, and unlike some other former leaders, he doesn't really comment on EU politics. He's keeping all the good stuff for Goldman Sachs.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Well, maybe there'll be a Barroso report on competitiveness around the corner.

[Nick Winicore]

We should be so lucky.

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

Well, he's not an Italian prime minister, so it's probably not going to happen.

[Nick Winicore]

Happen. It's true. There is that rule,

[Zoya Sheftilovic]

folks. That's it from us today. Sign up for the podcast, leave us a review. Make sure you send us a note on WhatsApp. Our number is in the show. Notes. Thanks very much for joining us today, Nick. Thank you for coming in.

[Nick Winicore]

Thanks for having me.

[Emily Schultheis]

Hey, this is Emily Schultheis. I'm the senior Editorial Director of POLITICO's Live Journalism Events on Tuesday here in Brussels. We're diving into Europe's efforts to compete on the global stage on everything from energy policy to simplification to defense and security. Register to join us in person for the competitive Europe Summit or follow the discussions live on politico.eu.