Péter Szijjártó

Bipartisan US senators have introduced the Block Putin Act, which would impose visa bans on Hungarian officials accused of enabling Russian energy purchases and blocking EU aid to Ukraine.

Investigative reporter Szabolcs Panyi covered story alleging foreign minister had passed information to Sergei Lavrov

Alleged leaks to Russia highlight the EU's weak points as information gets increasingly weaponised. Without clear protocols in place, diplomats see mix of legal, smaller coalitions and closer formats as ways to counter risks.

Former Commission President says "nothing prevents" EU member states from meeting without Hungary to discuss sensitive matters once trust is breached. Barroso argues political action is just as effective as legal tools if the 26 send a "message that they are sovereign too."

Hungary is the only EU country left waiting for the Commission to approve a request for defense money. According to sources, Hungary urged Brussels to make a decision in a letter, but the loan plan has not been approved even after laggards France and the Czech Republic were greenlighted.

A political bomb just exploded in Brussels. A Washington Post investigation claims Hungarian foreign minister spent years stepping out of confidential EU meetings to directly phone Russian officials. What is going on here?

Also in this newsletter: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen faces an uncertain future after suffering a setback in Tuesday's snap ballot.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that Lithuania requested the exclusion of a Hungarian delegation from a NATO meeting as early as 2019, amid fears that it may have passed classified information to Moscow.

Hungarian FM Péter Szijjártó confirmed he regularly contacts Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov 'before and after' European Council summits following reports alleging routine communication during breaks in Brussels meetings. Szijjártó said talking to other partners is the essence of diplomacy.

Also in this newsletter: Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett blasts the response of some European nations to the war in Iran; and the latest from Canberra after the EU and Australia clinched a free trade deal overnight.