Szijjártó on Orbán-Putin transcript: If this isn't interference by the intelligence services, then what is?

“If anyone still had any doubts about whether there was open, rude, and shameless interference by foreign intelligence services in the Hungarian parliamentary election campaign, then I hope they no longer have them,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on ATV’s program Egyenes beszéd on Tuesday evening in response to the transcript published by Bloomberg.

“The fact that wiretaps and transcripts – which I don’t know where they come from, because we don’t have such transcripts ourselves – obtained by foreign intelligence services using intelligence methods are leaked to the Hungarian press five days before the election: if this isn't interference by the intelligence services, then what is?” the minister continued.

Szijjártó said that the conversation in question took place immediately after Trump announced that he had agreed with Putin on holding a peace summit in Budapest. Trump then discussed the details with Orbán and asked Orbán to speak with Putin as well. The Foreign Minister called the release of the transcript unfair, as he believes it presents a false picture of the conversation. According to him, when Orbán said:

“There is a story in Hungarian storybooks in which a mouse helps a lion [they both laugh]. I am at your disposal whenever you need me”,

he was talking about providing all possible assistance for the peace summit.

Szijjártó said: “But isn’t that exactly what’s happening?” He then went on to argue that the world’s two nuclear superpowers “are singling out this ‘small Central European country’ as an extremely important player.” “That’s what this was about; it’s clear to anyone who wants to approach this with a level head,” the minister said.

According to Bloomberg, the brief call between Orbán and Putin took place around noon on October 17. The publication reported that much of the conversation consisted of expressing appreciation for each other and their shared respect for Donald Trump. Donald Trump previously announced on October 16 that he would meet with Vladimir Putin for a peace summit, which Budapest might host. The meeting was ultimately taken off the agenda, to which Orbán responded at the time that preparations would still continue and the event would be hosted when its time came. The meeting has not taken place to date.