Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister who presided over some of the country’s most controversial deals with China, will step down as a member of parliament to take a global position with the Chinese electric vehicle company BYD. The move has drawn sharp criticism from political rivals and raised questions about the influence of corporate interests in public policy.
Szijjarto’s new role with BYD comes nearly a decade after the company began expanding in Hungary, a process that has drawn large amounts of public funding. It followed with a battery plant in Fot and, more recently, the construction of its first European passenger car factory in Szeged, supported by 100 billion forints in public money.
BYD’s Hungarian footprint grows with public subsidies
BYD’s European headquarters was also established in Budapest, under the watch of Szijjarto, who served as both foreign minister and trade minister under Viktor Orbán. Now, he is leaving politics for a corporate role, a shift his critics say blurs the line between state and business.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar, a leader of the centrist Momentum party, accused Szijjarto of serving BYD’s interests over those of the Hungarian people. Magyar wrote on social media that the ex-minister had been 'an outright lobbyist for BYD,' citing the 'billions of forints' in taxpayer money the company received under his watch.
Szijjarto’s exit also coincides with growing internal fractures within Fidesz, the political party he once led in parliament. Last week, the party’s parliamentary group leader, Gergely Gulyas, resigned after a constitutional amendment barred MPs from serving in the chamber for more than 12 years.
Fidesz under pressure as anti-corruption probe expands
Hungary this week officially joined the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), an anti-corruption body that will have oversight of crimes related to EU funds. The move, long promised by the opposition Tisza party, aims to tighten accountability for public officials, including former Fidesz leaders with close ties to Orbán.
The EPPO’s arrival is expected to test the limits of Fidesz’s political power. While high-ranking officials have yet to face concrete legal action, the new office may now investigate the handling of public funds, including those given to companies like BYD. Hungary must now nominate three prosecutors to the body, with one chosen to oversee the office’s domestic operations.
Alleged Moscow drone plot points to Slovakia
Meanwhile, a separate scandal has emerged from Slovakia, where Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed it thwarted a drone attack plotted near Moscow. The alleged operation, it said, traced its logistics chain to Bratislava, where a Ukrainian-American rapper named Albert Vasiliev—known as Kyivstoner—has been implicated.
The FSB alleges that the drones, which were disguised as cargo shipments of Spanish ceramics, were prepared in Kyiv and moved through Poland and Belarus before reaching Russia. Vasiliev, who has denied any involvement, is being presented by Russian investigators as a key link in the chain, alongside two Moldovan citizens and a former Wagner mercenary.
The allegations remain unverified, but they add fuel to the already tense atmosphere in Central Europe. In Slovakia, far-right leader Milan Uhrik has emerged as the most trusted political figure, according to a recent poll. Uhrik, who leads the Republika party, received 31% trust, ahead of Prime Minister Robert Fico and other prominent politicians.