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Hungary Signed Secret Cooperation Plan With Russia, Expanding Ties Across Key Sectors
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Hungary and Russia signed a previously undisclosed 12-point plan to deepen cooperation across energy, trade, education, and culture, Politico reported on April 8.
The agreement was signed in Moscow after a December 9, 2025, meeting of the Russian-Hungarian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko endorsed the plan, which laid out areas for closer alignment between the two governments.
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The documents described cooperation in energy, industry, healthcare, agriculture, construction, and the broader cultural and humanitarian sphere.
They also called for efforts to reverse a decline in bilateral trade driven by EU sanctions imposed over Russia’s war against Ukraine, expand work on oil, gas, and nuclear fuel, and explore electricity and hydrogen projects involving Russian businesses in Hungary.
The agenda also covered education and cultural exchange. It included proposals to strengthen Russian-language teaching in Hungary by bringing in teachers from Russia, to widen recognition of academic qualifications, and to support exchange programs for postgraduate students, sports, and even circus arts.
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Responding to questions about the documents, Szijjártó stated that “Hungary’s bilateral cooperation is guided by national interests.”
The disclosure lands days before Hungary’s parliamentary election, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces his strongest challenge in years from opposition leader Péter Magyar.
Politico reported that Magyar has portrayed Orbán’s ties with Moscow as a liability, accusing the government of “outright betrayal” over its relationship with Russia.
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The revelation also coincides with separate evidence suggesting Orbán was prepared to assist Moscow well beyond routine state relation as a leaked transcript showed that during an undisclosed October 17, 2025, call, Viktor Orbán told Vladimir Putin he was ready to help “in any way,” including in talks tied to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Orbán reportedly raised the idea of Hungary hosting a high-level Russia-US meeting in Budapest and cast himself as a “mouse” helping Putin’s “lion,” a remark that, according to the transcript, drew laughter from the Russian leader.
Orbán also described their relationship as having grown stronger over time, while Putin praised Hungary’s “independent and flexible” line on the war.
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