Newsletter: Poland, Hungary clash amid allegations Budapest leaked EU secrets to Moscow

Good greeting from Brussels.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats suffered a setback successful Tuesday’s drawback elections, aft failing to unafraid a bulk contempt clinching the astir votes.

It’s the worst showing for the Social Democrats successful a period contempt finishing immoderate mode up of immoderate different party. It means determination are fraught conjugation talks ahead, but Frederiksen is inactive apt to clasp onto her premiership.

Frederiksen had called the drawback ballot successful the hopes that her steadfast enactment successful the look of US threats to forcibly prehend Greenland earlier this twelvemonth had galvanised her elector basal and would cement her majority. Andreas Rogal has more.

Speaking to Europe Today earlier, erstwhile Danish curate Benny Engelbrecht, a Social Democrat, acknowledged his enactment “would person liked to spot a amended result.” Watch.

But we pb this greeting with the latest connected allegations that Hungary has been leaking delicate EU accusation to the Kremlin, which is deepening a rift betwixt Budapest and Warsaw.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk weighed in connected the contented again yesterday, describing what helium claimed to beryllium Hungary’s evident admittance of the allegations arsenic a “disgrace.”

"Orbán's overseas curate confirmed that helium systematically informed Moscow astir what EU leaders were saying down closed doors. What a disgrace," Tusk, whose authorities is vocally captious of Hungarian premier Viktor Orbán, wrote connected X.

It came aft Orbán’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó admitted regular interaction with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov “before and after” EU ministerial meetings successful Brussels, but said this was portion of mean diplomacy. He said helium besides remains successful adjacent interaction with counterparts from different countries, including Turkey and Israel.

The Washington Post had earlier reported Szijjártó has been providing real-time briefings connected EU talks to Lavrov by calling him during gathering breaks, a assertion Szijjártó initially described arsenic “fake news.”

Budapest maintains that the Washington Post’s reports are “lies” and “fake news.”

In comments shared with Euronews connected Tuesday, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said it considers it “completely normal” and “standard practice” to debrief others arsenic decisions taken astatine the European level impact its relations with 3rd countries, including Russia.

Still, Russia is not remotely considered arsenic a spouse successful overseas argumentation successful Brussels. The Russian Federation is heavy sanctioned by the EU for its penetration of Ukraine and astir subordinate states person chopped ties with Moscow. EU subordinate states did not consent to details of backstage meetings being shared and spot Russia arsenic a nonstop information threat.

In that sense, Hungary’s presumption is an anomaly extracurricular of the European consensus.

The allegations travel arsenic a fierce run up of the Hungarian elections connected 12 April is successful afloat swing. Orbán is facing the archetypal existent situation to his clasp connected powerfulness aft 16 uninterrupted years successful office, with absorption person Péter Magyar inactive up successful astir polls.

The European Commission has called connected Budapest to supply “clarifications” successful effect to the Washington Post’s reports. Yet EU officials admit successful backstage that overseas ministers are not bound by the aforesaid confidentiality rules arsenic EU civilian servants, arsenic they are escaped to behaviour their ain overseas policy.

Oil prices descent aft Trump claims talks with Tehran are progressing

Oil prices slid again this greeting arsenic US President Donald Trump claimed talks with Iran connected a colony to extremity the warfare are ongoing.

Trump told reporters astatine the Oval Office past nighttime that the US had “won this war”, and that Iran gave him a “gift” related to “oil and gas” involving the Strait of Hormuz, without giving further details.

Tehran has since announced that it volition re-open the captious maritime waterway to “non-hostile vessels”, arsenic the authorities exerts its power connected the Strait contempt US claims of an imminent settlement.

Trump has besides said envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would beryllium progressive successful bid talks, with reports that a 15-point bid program has been pitched by the US, with Pakistan acting arsenic a mediator.

Islamabad has already emerged arsenic the astir apt venue for nonstop talks, with Egypt and Turkey besides acting arsenic a diplomatic span betwixt some sides.

Yet Tehran continues to publically contradict that immoderate talks are happening, with the Associated Press reporting this greeting that Iranian subject spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari has mocked US diplomacy efforts, saying: “The 1 claiming to beryllium a planetary superpower would person already gotten retired of this messiness if it could. Don’t formal up your decision arsenic an agreement. Your epoch of bare promises has travel to an end.”

Meanwhile, determination is mounting interest implicit the concern successful Lebanon aft Israel said it would instrumentality power of a buffer portion successful the country’s south.

Speaking to Europe Today earlier, the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih described the concern arsenic “dire” and conditions for the much than 1 cardinal radical displaced arsenic “harsh.”

“I anticipation this happening volition beryllium enactment down america earlier agelong due to the fact that we request peace. This struggle has already gone connected for acold excessively long,” Commissioner Salih told Europe Today. “Human lives are astatine stake. The interaction connected civilians crossed the portion is phenomenal and profound.” Watch.

EU delays connection to prohibition Russian lipid amid Iran war, terms spikes and Druzhba row

The European Commission has delayed the presumption of a highly anticipated connection to permanently prohibition the imports of Russian oil, arsenic the warfare successful the Middle East continues to nonstop shockwaves crossed vigor markets, my workfellow Jorge Liboreiro reports.

It besides comes amid a tense standoff with Hungary and Slovakia, the lone 2 subordinate states that inactive bargain Russian oil, implicit the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline.

The legislation, which is portion of the REPowerEU roadmap, was tentatively scheduled to beryllium unveiled connected 15 April, but the day has present been removed from the calendar.

"I bash not person a caller day to give," Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the Commission's spokesperson for energy, said connected Tuesday morning.

"What I tin reassure you of is that we stay committed to making this proposal."

The postponement is influenced by the US-Israeli strikes connected Iran, which person upended vigor markets and closed disconnected the Strait of Hormuz, a captious transition that, until now, carried a 5th of planetary lipid and LNG each day.

Jorge has the full story.

More from our newsrooms

EU-Australia commercialized woody draws ire of farmers and lawmakers. Copa-Cogeca, the EU’s influential farmers’ lobby, said successful a connection connected Tuesday that the EU’s concessions to Canberra successful the recently signed trade deal with Australia are “unacceptable” arsenic they neglect to sufficiently support European farmers. Peggy Corlin has thefull story.

Former Frontex manager nether probe successful France. France has opened an probe into Fabrice Leggeri, a far-right MEP and erstwhile manager of the EU borderline bureau Frontex. Leggeri is suspected of complicity successful crimes against humanity and torture, for having allegedly encouraged the interception of migrant boats by Libyan and Greek authorities, according to AFP. Leggeri and his lawyers were not alert of this determination and person nary remark to make, the MEP's bureau told Euronews’s Vincenzo Genovese.

Family denies Israel's relation successful French journalist’s death. The begetter of Marine Vlahovic, a French writer who was recovered dormant connected the extortion of her Marseille flat successful November 2024, has rejected mounting societal media speculation that his girl was murdered by Israel. Noa Schumann and Estelle Nilsson-Julien person the full story.

We're besides keeping an oculus on

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to code the Spanish Congress of Deputies to outline the government's presumption connected the struggle successful the Middle East
• European Commission to contiguous a connection connected integrated wildfire hazard absorption and a caller fiscal instrumentality to enactment the European defence industry
• EU lawmakers to determine which EU state volition big the upcoming European Customs Authority

That’s it for today. Vincenzo Genovese, Maria Tadeo, Jorge Liboreiro and Sandor Zsiros contributed to this newsletter. Remember to sign up to person Europe Today successful your inbox each weekday greeting astatine 08.30.