Allegedly, the EU cuts Hungary out of sensitive talks

I saw this Politico news, EU cuts Hungary out of sensitive talks over leaking-to-Russia fears, diplomats say and I asked Perplexity to do more inquiries on this. Here is the report:

The claim that “the EU is cutting Hungary out of sensitive talks over leaking‑to‑Russia fears” refers to a real, ongoing diplomatic practice, but not to a formal legal exclusion from EU institutions. According to reporting based on EU diplomats and officials, Brussels has been limiting the flow of confidential material to Budapest and increasingly handling the most sensitive discussions in smaller, informal formats that do not always include Hungary (for example E3, E4, E7/E8, the Weimar Triangle, NB8 or JEF). See, for instance, coverage summarised here: https://unn.ua/en/news/eu-excludes-hungary-from-sensitive-talks-over-fears-of-leaks-to-russia-politico and https://english.nv.ua/nation/eu-freezes-sensitive-talks-with-hungary-over-russia-leak-concerns-50593981.html.

This pattern has emerged against a longer background of eroding trust in Viktor Orbán’s government on Russia‑related issues. Over the past years, Hungary has repeatedly blocked or diluted sanctions on Moscow, resisted military aid for Ukraine, and maintained high‑level political and energy ties with the Kremlin, behaviour that many in Brussels interpret not just as routine policy dissent but as obstruction aligned with Russian interests. Analyses of Hungary’s Russia policy and its impact on EU cohesion, such as those discussed here: https://verfassungsblog.de/how-viktor-orban-challenges-the-eus-common-foreign-and-security-policy/ and critical policy essays on “illiberal entrenchment” and cohesion, argue that this has fundamentally weakened partners’ confidence in Budapest as a reliable actor in common foreign and security policy.

The “leaks” angle intensifies this pre‑existing mistrust. Recent reporting (drawing on intelligence and diplomatic sources) alleges that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has, on multiple occasions, briefed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about confidential EU discussions during breaks in meetings. This has led EU and NATO diplomats to say openly that they now self‑censor in front of Hungarian representatives and, where possible, shift the most sensitive conversations into formats where Budapest is not present. Various news write‑ups and commentary pieces describe this as a “crisis of trust in Brussels” and note that similar caution is now visible in some NATO‑adjacent formats as well.

Crucially, there is no official decision under EU treaties to suspend Hungary’s voting rights or formally exclude it from named Council or Coreper meetings. Hungary still attends the regular, formal gatherings of EU institutions and retains all its legal prerogatives. The sidelining happens instead through practice: pre‑coordination in smaller groups, “break‑out” huddles of leaders or foreign ministers during summits, and a more restrictive circulation of sensitive written material. Public sources so far remain vague on the exact dates and titles of those restricted gatherings, precisely because many occur in informal or off‑the‑record settings; they describe a clear pattern rather than offering a complete, meeting‑by‑meeting list.