Tusk and Irish PM call Hungarian foreign minister’s alleged links to Russia ‘repulsive’ and ‘sinister’ – Europe live

… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!

• Several EU leaders have strongly criticised Hungary after a media report disclosed new details about Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó’s conversations with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

• A joint investigation by five European outlets revealed what it said were alleged conversations between Szijjártó, Lavrov, and another Russian official, in which they seemed to discuss amending the EU sanctions lists, among other things (11:10).

• Szijjártó dismissed the findings, saying they only confirm that “I say the same publicly as I do on the phone,” pointing to his previous criticism of the bloc’s sanctions regime.

• Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said the disclosure was “a confirmation of the deeply disturbing political dependence” of Hungary on Russia, calling out “unacceptable” and “repulsive” tone of the reported conversations.

• Ireland’s prime minister Micheál Martin said it was “a very sinister development,” which “confirms what many suspected” about Hungary “doing the bidding for Russia” within the EU (16:50).

• Czech president and former Nato general Petr Pavel said the incident should prompt the Czech authorities to re-evaluate its relations and sharing of confidential information with Hungary, but his criticism got dismissed by the government (17:33).

• Separately, the EU’s top diplomat spoke with Szijjártó to remind him of the expectation of confidentiality for all EU discussions held behind the closed doors, the European Commission said (12:46).

In other news,

• US president Donald Trump and US secretary of state Marco Rubio criticised European Nato allies for their refusal to support US offensive operations against Iran, after France, Italy and Spain reportedly denied requests to use their airspace or bases for these purposes (11:59, 12:03, 13:24, 14:36, 15:30, 16:12).

• The European Union has reaffirmed its support for Ukraine, marking the fourth anniversary of the liberation of Bucha, with a call to make Russia accountable for its war crimes in Ukraine (13:21).

• The Finnish prime minister, Petteri Orpo, has said the war in Ukraine has “come close” after two drones fell on Finnish territory, but insisted that it did not constitute a military threat (11:55), after similar incidents were reported across the Baltics in recent days.

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But the Slovak prime minister, Robert Fico, was much less critical of Hungary, stressing to reporters that any decision to remove someone from the sanctions list requires a unanimous agreement of all member states.

He sidestepped the question on the tone of the alleged conversation between Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, focusing on what he sees as a broader issue with the accuracy of the sanctions list.

He recalled that a Slovak citizen, Jozef Hambálek, was briefly listed too, and “being on that list completely destroyed his life,” even though “it was blindingly obvious there was no reason for him to be on that list.”

The EU originally said that he was “the president of the Europe chapter of the nationalist motorcycle club Nightwolves MC based in Slovakia,” alleging his close links to Vladimir Putin and that “his ongoing activities, which allegedly include training Nightwolves members for active combat in Ukraine on his properties and actively promoting pro-Russian propaganda in Europe can be deemed as a security threat for Ukraine and the EU.” He was later removed from the list in 2024.

Fico said that because Slovakia “was the first to raise this issue and speak about the so-called 'weak legal cases’, others started reaching out to us,” and he received representations from Turkey and other “presidents in Central Asia.”

He continued:

“It must be stated very clearly: to remove someone from the sanctions list, you need the agreement of all 27 EU member states. Therefore, you cannot accuse anyone of being a Russian agent.

If you do, you would have to accuse all 27 member states of being Russian agents for agreeing to a decision – such as the one in the past regarding the sister of the well-known businessman Usmanov [reportedly discussed between Hungary and Russia]. …

So, the explanation for the whole story is simple: all 27 member states must agree. It is impossible to accuse anyone here of ‘doing favors’ or overstepping.”

Czech president Petr Pavel has also responded to the latest disclosure on Hungary, urging the Czech government to “re-evaluate” its relations with the Hungarian government as a result of “unacceptable” discussions between Budapest and Moscow.

Pavel, a retired senior Nato general and former chair of the alliance’s military committee, is well known for his critical view of Russia and its increasingly assertive stance in the region and interference in European politics.

Talking to Česká Televize, he said:

“I find it absolutely unacceptable for an EU and Nato member state to circumvent the rules in this way and share sensitive, if not classified, information with our adversary.

We should certainly re-evaluate our relationship with Hungary based on this, specifically regarding what we do and do not share with them, because of course is simply wrong for a Nato member to undermine our security in such a way.”

Asked what he wanted the government to do, Pavel added:

“I’m not sure about a formal statement, but on a practical level – at least from my perspective – this should mean scaling back all ties with Péter Szijjártó. He is completely untrustworthy, and Viktor Orbán certainly knew about it as well. I believe that things like this simply cannot be allowed to slide.”

But the Czech foreign minister, Petr Macinka, dismissed his calls, telling iDnes.cz that as foreign policy remains a prerogative of the government, Pavel’s comments were “irrelevant.”

Separately, Ireland’s Martin and Poland’s Tusk very strongly criticised the latest disclosures on Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó’s relations with Russia, calling his conversations with his Moscow counterpart “repulsive” and “sinister.”

Earlier today, a group of five European media outlets published what they said was a phone call between Szijjártó and the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, discussing their plan to amend the EU’s sanctions list to Moscow’s liking (11:10).

The investigation also alleged further contacts between the minister and Russian officials.

Tusk and Martin said the tone of the recorded conversation showed “unacceptable” and “deferential tone” from the EU country’s minister, with the Irish PM saying it “confirmed what many suspected” about Hungary “doing the bidding for Russia” within the bloc.

In unusually strong comments, Tusk said:

“What we have heard, and what we had already suspected, is merely a confirmation of the deeply disturbing political dependence of Viktor Orbán’s government and his foreign minister, Mr Szijjártó, directly on the authorities in Moscow.

It has been a long time, if ever, since I have heard something so disheartening. What these recordings have revealed is more than just the political dependency of the Budapest government on Moscow; it has exposed just how unacceptable and bizarre this relationship truly is.

A foreign minister of a European nation – a member of the European Union – reporting to the Russian foreign minister on the completion of a task and asking for patience because he knows he still has several more tasks to carry out? One could hardly imagine anything more repulsive. It is absolutely disqualifying. …

Poland loves Hungary, and Poles love the Hungarian people; ours is a friendship that has endured for decades and centuries. That is why it is so important to me that everyone in Hungary hears this: nothing has changed on our end. We are glad to be part of the European community alongside the Hungarian people.

The tragedy is that Viktor Orbán’s government – certainly Orbán himself and minister Szijjártó – effectively left the European Union a long time ago.”

Martin joined in, adding:

“I think it is a very sinister development.

It confirms what many suspected that the Hungarian government has been doing the bidding for Russia within the European Union for quite some time.

The deferential tone in the conversation was alarming, and it really is a very serious situation that within the European Union you have that type of behaviour and it is very revealing of the relationship between the Hungarian government and the Russian government. … It’s unacceptable.”

Irish prime minister Micheál Martin has warned that the oil supply shock caused by the US-Israeli attack on Iran is “probably the worst ever,” as he sounded alarm over the supply and inflationary impacts on the global economy.

He also said there will be “ongoing advice in terms of conservation of energy” with the government “urging people to use it as wisely as possible.”

Speaking in Warsaw alongside Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk, Martin said:

“It’s very serious, and the supply shock is probably the worst ever, much more severe than even in the 1970s supply shock. On two fronts, inflation, inflationary impacts, and on supply implications.

We’ve set up a subgroup to look at the supply issue and there will be ongoing advice in terms of conservation of energy and urging people to use it as wisely as possible, and that is being kept under constant review.

On the economic impacts, we are concerned … We are very concious that this could go on, no one is quite certain what is round the corner, so we have to be cautious in terms of how we intervene.

But we are very concerned in terms of secondary impacts on economy … and that is why we would urge that the war would end. The implications are … first of all, it is causing too much death, construction and injury to people, but as well as that it’s causing huge economic dislocation around the world with very serious consequences for people’s livelihoods and that is a concern for us.”

In response, Tusk said the situation was “extraordinary” as he talked about his government’s move to cap fuel prices among other measures responding to the crisis.

In other news from Italy, the country is set to postpone to 2038, 13 years later than originally planned, the permanent shutdown of its coal-fired power plants, according to a bill passed by the lower house of parliament today, Reuters reported.

The move signals the willingness of prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government to dial down anti-climate change policies in the face of growing energy supply challenges triggered by the conflict in Iran.

Italy has four coal-powered plants currently on stand-by, three of which are owned by the country’s largest utility Enel.

Energy minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said this month they could be reactivated if the conflict in the Middle East were to provoke an energy crisis.

Meanwhile, the Italian government has sought to play down any suggestion of tensions with the US over its decision to deny the use of its airbase in Sicily (12:03).

The government said in a statement that Italy was “acting in full compliance with current international agreements and the government’s guidelines expressed in parliament.”

“Each request is carefully examined on a case-by-case basis, as has always been the case in the past. There have been no critical issues or friction with international partners. Relations with the United States, in particular, are strong and based on full and loyal cooperation,” it added.

Margarita Robles, the Spanish defence minister, has reiterated her country’s commitment to Nato and multilateralism saying that the US and Israel “can’t be the ones who, without anyone’s support, not even of their allies, decide what type of rules or peace apply in the world”.

Speaking to congress, she said “we are faced with a scenario that the government defines as a war that runs contrary to international law and to which our response has been firm and consistent.”

“Our position is supported by the majority of people, and not just Spanish but European,” she added.

Defending the decision to deny the US use of its bases in Spain to pursue the war, she said the prohibition applied “exclusively” to the war on Iran.

This decision absolutely doesn’t imply a break with our transatlantic links. The bases continue to function.

Spain feels no obligation to join an illegal war whose objectives, 30 days into the conflict, have yet to be defined, she said.

“No one knows what will happen with this war,” Robles said.

“Two countries went to war and expected us to join them,” adding that “we don’t accept lectures from anyone in regard to our commitment to peace”.

We also have a bit more from Reuters on the French decision that triggered Trump’s anger earlier (13:24).

France did not allow Israel to use its airspace to transport American weapons to be used in the war against Iran, a western diplomat and two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The sources said the refusal, which happened at the weekend, was the first time France had done this since the start of the conflict in Iran.

Neither the French presidency nor the foreign ministry were immediately available for comment.

Meanwhile, Poland’s defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the country’s Patriot air defence batteries will not be relocated anywhere after a media report claimed that US officials had informally suggested to the Polish government they should consider redeploying one of them to the Middle East.

The Rzeczpospolita newspaper reported that the US had been “sounding out” Poland about moving one of the two Polish-owned Patriot batteries to the Middle East.

A Polish defence ministry spokesperson denied the newspaper’s report, saying “The Americans are not putting any pressure on [us] on these matters.”

Wiesław Kukuła, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, also denied it on X, saying “No one is asking for it.”

The newspaper separately suggested that future deliveries of contracted US interceptor missiles to Poland could be hit by delays caused by the Iran war; again, a claim denied by an army spokesperson.

In a post on X, Kosiniak-Kamysz said:

“Our Patriot batteries and their armament are used to protect Polish skies and Nato’s eastern flank. Nothing is changing in this regard, and we are not planning to relocate them anywhere! Our allies know full well and understand how important the tasks we have here are. Poland’s security is an absolute priority.”

Back to Iran and the perceived lack of support from European Nato allies, US president Donald Trump has now turned to criticising France in his latest outburst on social media.

In a post on Truth Social, he said:

“The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory. France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the “Butcher of Iran,” who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!! President DJT”

The EU and 26 of its member states – no Hungary, unsurprisingly – have just issued a statement on Ukraine following their informal meeting in Bucha this morning.

In it, they said they wanted to “reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ensuring full accountability of the Russian Federation, for any violations of international law in or against Ukraine, including aggression in violation of the Charter of the United Nations.”

They added:

“We honour the memory of all victims of the massacre in Bucha and other cities, towns and villages across Ukraine, where civilians were subjected to mass killings, torture, sexual violence, forced deportations, and other grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The evidence collected following the withdrawal of Russian forces, underscores the imperative to ensure full and comprehensive accountability.”

They specifically welcomed the work on “operationalisation of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and the establishment of the International Claims Commission for Ukraine.”

“We also express our support for investigations by the international criminal court into the situation in Ukraine and call for full cooperation by all State Parties.”

Finally, they also reiterated their “firm and unwavering” backing for Ukraine more broadly.

The lack of Hungarian signature is not surprising given the continuing – and escalating – standoff between Viktor Orbán and Kyiv as the nationalist prime minister continues to use anti-Ukrainian rhethoric in his electoral campaign.

We have just heard the EU’s response to the latest revelations about the close contacts between Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó and Russian officials (11:10), but it was rather technical.

The commission’s foreign spokesperson Anitta Hipper said the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, spoke with Szijjártó earlier this week “reiterating, once more, the importance of confidentiality of closed doors discussion.”

Kallas “also stressed that the council’s internal deliberations must not be disclosed to third parties,” she said.

But pressed on the issue further, the commission’s deputy spokesperson Olof Gill shut it down saying:

We have nothing more to say on that topic for the moment.

in Rome

Italy has denied use of an airbase in Sicily to US military craft carrying weapons for the war in the Middle East.

A source at the Italian defence ministry confirmed a report in Corriere della Sera that “some US bombers” had been due to land at Sigonella – a key US navy installation and Nato base – before heading to the Middle East.

According to treaties signed in the late 1950s, the US navy can use the base for logistical and training purposes but not as a transit hub for aircraft used to transport weapons for war unless in an emergency situation, permission for which needs to be approved in parliament.

The source said the US had only sought permission to land the aircraft while they were en route to Sicily, therefore failing to follow procedures that require authorisation to be approved in parliament. It is unclear when the aircraft had been due to land at the base but the source said there was no time to seek approval in parliament.

For days, politicians in Sicily from Italy’s leftwing opposition parties have been urging Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government to clarify the situation at Sigonella after activity at the base increased since the start of the war in Iran and asked it to block the US from using bases in Italy for involvement in the conflict. Italy hosts seven US navy bases.

Another big story getting lots of attention in Europe today is the escalating standoff between the US administration and European Nato countries over their reluctance or refusal to support the US offensive operations in Iran.

Over the past few weeks, Trump repeatedly criticised Nato countries, saying they “have done absolutely nothing,” labeling them as “cowards,” and saying the US would “never forget” their refusal to help.

In the latest sign of tensions, US secretary of state Marco Rubio lashed out at Spain and other Nato allies overnight, telling Al Jazeera that it was “very disappointing” to see partners deny its request to use their airspace.

On Monday, Spain said it has closed its airspace to US planes involved in the war, stepping up Pedro Sánchez’s opposition to the conflict.

Rubio responded to the news by saying:

“I think it was very disappointing … and … look, the president and our country will have to re-examine all of this after this operation is over, but one of the reasons why Nato is beneficial to the United States is it gives us basing rights for contingencies.

It allows us to station troops and aircraft and weapons in parts of the world that we wouldn’t normally have bases, and that includes much of Europe.

And to see that in a time of need, [when] the United States has identified a grave risk to our national security and our national interests, and we needed to conduct this operation, we have countries like Spain, a Nato member that we are pledged to defend, denying us the use of their airspace and bragging about it, denying us the use of our of their bases – and there are other countries that have done that as well – and so you ask yourself, well, what is in it for the United States?”

Nordic correspondent

Meanwhile, the Finnish prime minister, Petteri Orpo, has said the war in Ukraine has “come close” after two drones fell on Finnish territory, but insisted that it did not constitute a military threat.

Two drones crashed in south-eastern Finland on Sunday – one north of Kouvola and one in Luumäki – in what is being treated as suspected territorial violations. One of the drones has been identified as Ukrainian.

Defence forces say they are carrying out almost daily surveillance and reconnaissance flights in response to the situation and Ukrainian drone operations near Finland on Russian oil facilities.

Orpo said in a press conference this morning: “The war has come close, and the effects have extended beyond our country’s borders”. But, he added, that Ukraine has right to defend itself and there is nothing to suggest that the drones were deliberately directed at Finland and therefore not a military threat.

“On Sunday morning, two drones fell in Finnish territory,” Orpo said.

Let’s remember what this is about: Russia is continuing its large-scale war of aggression for the fifth year, and Ukraine has the right to defend itself.

He added: “Last night, there were observations in the Baltic countries that drones had been seen nearby, meaning they were heading towards the Gulf of Finland.”

Major General Timo Herranen, of the Finnish defence forces, said that last night Finnish fighter jets were “in the air almost the entire time”.

On Sunday, the Finnish president Alexander Stubb said “there is no military threat to Finland”, adding that authorities responded immediately.

Monitoring and investigations, he said, were ongoing. “Finland is prepared to monitor and secure our territory.”

Speaking of the €90bn loan and EU sanctions against Russia, and Hungary’s role in all of this, more details have now emerged alleging close contact between Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó and senior Russian ministers.

A joint investigation by The Insider and four regional media VSquare, DelfiEE, FrontStory and the Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak, published this morning, alleged that Szijjártó regularly discussed the EU’s confidential plans on sanctions with Russian officials, actively looking for ways to amend the lists or affect their adoption.

In a series of conversations reported by the outlets, the Hungarian foreign minister reportedly told Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov that he is “always at your disposal” and offered help with removing certain individuals from EU sanctions.

Former Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed the authenticity of one of the exchanges that Szijjártó reportedly relayed onwards to the Russians.

One of the authors of the article, Szabolcs Panyi, one of the country’s most prominent investigative journalists, was last week accused by the Hungarian government of spying for Ukraine, a move widely condemned by media rights watchdogs.

The five media outlets said Szijjártó did not reply to their request for comment.

He has responded on X this morning seeking to ridicule the reporting by saying “they proved that I say the same publicly as I do on the phone. Nice work!”

“For four years we have been saying that sanctions are a failure, causing more harm to the EU than to Russia. Hungary will never agree to sanction individuals or companies essential for our energy security, for achieving peace, or those with no reason to be on a sanctions list,” he said.

Szijjártó had previously dismissed earlier reporting on this as fake news, but confirmed he held some calls with third-country partners, saying this was part of routine diplomacy.

The report is likely to cause further frustration in Brussels and in EU capitals amid growing anger over Hungary’s close relations to Russia, with both prime minister Viktor Orbán and Szijjártó regularly visiting Moscow.

The latest relevations come less than two weeks before the critical parliamentary election in the country, which could see Orbán ousted after 16 years in power.

It’s safe to say we are very likely to see someone ask the Commission for their reaction at their midday briefing later today.

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the Bucha massacre “has come to symbolise the cruelty of Russia’s war” against Ukraine as she vowed to bring Russia into account for its actions during the conflict.

“Four years after these mass killings, we remember the victims. What happened here cannot be denied,” she stressed.

She added the EU was “committed to ensuring that these crimes do not go unpunished, including by supporting the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, alongside the Claims Commission.”

“Russia must be held accountable for what it has done to Ukraine,” she said.

She earlier said the bloc “will keep providing military, financial, energy, and humanitarian support” to Ukraine.

Several EU ministers are expected in Bucha, Ukraine, today to mark the fourth anniversary of the town’s liberation and the massacre that became one of the early symbols of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The anniversary marks a rare moment in recent weeks when the EU’s attention focuses back on Ukraine amid growing concerns about fallout from the Iran war. The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, leads the delegation.

The ministers will discuss what needs to be done to ensure accountability for war crimes committed during the war through a special tribunal, which still needs more political backing and funding to come into existence.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in a post on social media:

“The scale of Russian atrocities in the course of its aggression is unseen on European soil since WWII. The crime of aggression is the root cause of them all. There must be accountability and there will be no amnesty for Russian criminals, including the highest political and military leadership of the Russian Federation.”

He drew a comparison with the Nuremberg trials against leaders of defeated Nazi Germany, saying the new tribunal was needed to “prevent such horrible crimes from repeating again in the future.”

But no progress is expected to be made on thorny issues of the EU’s €90bn loan to Ukraine and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, both of which continue to be blocked by Hungary.

Let’s see what the day brings.

Separately, EU energy ministers are holding a call later today to discuss the impact of the crisis in the Middle East on energy prices as some countries push with unilateral measures that they argue are needed to limit the impact on their economies.

I will also keep an eye on Denmark where the coalition talks continue after last week’s parliamentary election, which ended with a political deadlock.

It’s Tuesday, 31 March 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.