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

Brussels Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.4 • 204 Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2026

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur unpack Donald Tusk’s accusation that Hungary may have leaked sensitive European Council discussions to Moscow — and what that means for trust, decision-making and Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán’s position in Brussels. Plus: Europe’s balancing act as Donald Trump turns up the pressure over Iran — and a breakdown of the weekend’s voting in France and Germany. Questions? Comments? Send them to our WhatsApp: +32 491 05 06 29. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.1	Good morning. It's Monday, March 23, and this is the Brussels Playbook podcast.
0:42.1	Thank you. This is the Brussels Playbook podcast. The vibe today is declassified as a trust crisis emboils the EU
0:47.7	after the Prime Minister of Poland accused Hungary of leaking sensitive information to Moscow.
0:53.9	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 Hormuz. And finally, Europe has been busy voting this weekend. We take you through some of the main results. I'm Zoya Shafdanovich, and with me today is our chief foreign affairs correspondent, Nick Vinnikor. Hey, Nick. Hey, Zoya. What did you have for dinner last night? I'm Zoya Shafdanovich and with me today is our chief foreign affairs correspondent Nick Vinicor. Hey Nick.
1:12.4	Hey, Zoya. What did you have for dinner last night? Wow, that was years ago. You really stumped me there.
1:20.1	No recollection. I had a Portuguese tart. So I'm glad that I remember that and you remember nothing.
1:26.7	Nick, let's talk about something that's really
1:29.2	kind of heated up over the course of the weekend. The Washington Post published a pretty
1:33.3	explosive story alleging that the Russians and the Hungarians were essentially colluding to prop
1:39.6	up Victor Orban's prime ministerial ambitions. And as part of that investigation, there was also a hint that maybe the Hungarians had been
1:47.0	briefing the Russians about secret talks within the EU.
	...

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