A leaked transcript of a 2020 phone call suggests Hungary’s foreign minister sought Moscow’s help to bolster a Slovak ally ahead of a pivotal election, raising fresh questions about Budapest’s ties to the Kremlin and deepening concerns within the EU over trust, influence and the handling of sensitive information.
EU leaders failed to convince Hungary to lift its veto on Ukraine support, as president Volodomyr Zelensky lamented the blockage.
Slovakia had pushed for the EU to delist two Russian oligarchs, but did a U-turn on Saturday.
Global arms flows are surging to Cold War levels, fuelled by European rearmament and the war in Ukraine. Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic are reshaping Europe’s defence landscape, while a Czechoslovak Group’s record-breaking IPO exposes links between business and politics. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia eyes Ukrainian weapons amid drone threats, highlighting a defence boom that is both highly profitable and increasingly entangled with geopolitics.
Slovakia has said it would block the rollover of the existing visa-bans and asset-freezes on Russia due on 15 March, unless the EU first delists two Russian oligarchs.
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Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline has halted, sparking tensions between Slovakia, Hungary and Ukraine, although Brussels says supplies remain stable. In contrast, Kyiv builds cyber ties with other EU countries while Baltic states bolster border defences.
Last year, Europe became Ukraine’s main supporter, providing over $200bn (€170bn) in military, financial, and humanitarian aid, while US assistance dropped sharply, shifting the war’s centre of gravity to the EU.
Hungary and Slovakia risk delaying new EU sanctions on Russia, but Malta is falling into line, less than a week before Europe’s Ukraine-anniversary deadline.
Accusations of corruption, favouritism, eroding the rule of law and judicial independence under Robert Fico’s Slovak government are aired in the European Parliament.