Orban-Trump Meeting Signifies Close Ties

It is of great significance that soon after winning the elections, US President-elect Donald Trump met with the Hungarian prime minister. Both leaders are firmly committed to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US President-elect Donald Trump (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban held three hours of talks with US President-elect Donald Trump. The meeting, which took place in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, is an indication of the good personal relationship between the two politicians, which is expected to lead to an improvement in bilateral relations after Trump's inauguration. The meeting was also attended by Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Elon Musk.

Hungary's PM Viktor Orban also had talks with Elon Musk.

"If two people, two men, sit down to talk today, whether in Europe, or in America, they can hardly avoid talking about peace and war," Prime Minister Viktor Orban told journalists about his meeting with Donald Trump. In response to a question on peace, the PM added,

The US president is not in a position now to negotiate about a ceasefire because of very strict US legal rules. Therefore, it is not possible to conduct such talks, but only possible to congratulate him on his victory. I am confident that we will see the beneficial effects of this soon after he is sworn in on January 20.

USA today. The future has begun! 🇭🇺🇺🇸
An afternoon in Mar-a-Lago with @realDonaldTrump, @elonmusk and @michaelgwaltz. pic.twitter.com/xYs5q8fqGq

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) December 9, 2024

Responding to a journalist's question at his press conference yesterday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also spoke about the visit to Mar-a-Lago and the continuation of the Hungarian peace mission. In this context, he recalled the events of the past few days, "The prime minister has been to see His Holiness the Pope, I have been to Moscow and Washington and we have had meetings in Malta. Now, the prime minister and I have just returned from Florida." He also added that there will be at least two other events this week that are part of the Hungarian mission for peace. 

The president-elect had promised during his campaign to end the bloodshed as soon as possible. At the end of last week, Trump met in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky, who expressed his openness to peace. Trump also said that Ukraine could expect less support from the United States during his administration.

Daniel Deak, senior analyst at the XXI Century Institute, said that the [Orban-Trump -ed.] meeting is of great importance.

Even the leaders of countries such as Germany and Britain have not met with Donald Trump in person since his election victory. So far in Europe, he has met with Emmanuel Macron at the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral at the end of last week,

the analyst told Magyar Nemzet, adding that the Hungarian prime minister will more than likely be invited to attend the presidential inauguration on January 20.

The Hungarian prime minister's most recent meeting in Florida with Trump, as well as with one of his future ministers, Elon Musk, the South African-born US technology billionaire, could be of great importance for the Hungarian economy, as it could lead to additional US investments in Hungary.

With Elon Musk's innovative giant companies, if they invest in the country or collaborate with Hungarian companies, that would be a huge advantage for Hungary,

Daniel Deak pointed out.

The meeting between Viktor Orban and Donald Trump attracted a great deal of attention around the world. The US news portal Bloomberg, for example, named the Hungarian prime minister as one of Trump's staunchest allies abroad.

In a post on Facebook, MEP Kinga Gal, the first vice-chair of the Patriots for Europe EP group, wrote that both overseas and in Europe today, patriotic forces represent the politics of common sense.

Analyst also talks about Viktor Orban's success

Janos Zila, an analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights, in an interview for Magyar Nemzet said that Viktor Orban and US President-elect Trump have a friendly relationship, which is very important for Hungary's future and its role in Europe. He stressed that during the election campaign, Donald Trump had repeatedly mentioned PM Orban in a positive context, much more often than he did any other European leader.

In July, Trump had already invited PM Orban for a face-to-face meeting, foreshadowing the likelihood of cooperation.

The expert also pointed out that after the US presidential election, analysts named Viktor Orban Trump's most important European partner, which is worth noting, considering Hungary's weight and international position. This is possible because there is a high degree of agreement between Trump and Orban on key policy issues, European leaders allied with the outgoing US Democrats do not seem to be reliable partners for Trump.

A sense of panic now pervades Brussels. Ursula von der Leyen is trying to win Trump's sympathy with increased purchases of US liquefied natural gas, but this is not helping Europeans,

the analyst pointed out, explaining that Hungary must take advantage of this favorable situation and reconcile the principle "For us, Hungary is first" with Trump's "America first" principle. Both leaders are committed to peace, and Viktor Orban is in a unique position to act as a mediator between Russia, Ukraine and China, as he had proved this summer.

The Russia-Ukraine war is still going on because the outgoing US administration wanted it to. Kyiv and Moscow were ready to negotiate in the spring of 2022, but Anglo-Saxon pressure has kept the war going. Trump, as the leader of the world's biggest military power, can bring both sides to the negotiating table,

Janos Zila noted.

In conclusion, the expert said that Mr Orban also held talks with Elon Musk, which is important for economic and technological cooperation. Musk has a significant influence on Western public opinion, so news about Hungary through the X platform can give a more objective picture, unlike the negative portrayals created by the leftist-liberal media in the past.

Cover photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US President-elect Donald Trump (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)