Outgoing FM Szijjártó: 'No Regrets' on Russia Ties, Denies Serving Moscow

Outgoing Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó gave a defiant farewell interview on April 23, asserting he had "no regrets" about cultivating close relations with Russia and denied he had ever served Russian interests. Szijjártó said: "For 11 years I worked on a normal, pragmatic relationship" with Russia, claiming Hungary benefited from cheaper energy as a result. He also claimed that Ukraine's intelligence services had interfered in Hungary's April 12 election, an unsubstantiated allegation. The interview came as a political scandal simmered: leaked recordings from the election campaign alleged that Szijjártó had shared details of EU foreign ministers' meetings with Russian FM Sergei Lavrov. Szijjártó had been one of the most pro-Moscow voices in the EU throughout the Orbán era.