Washington Seeks to Continue Cooperation with PM Orban, Wants Hungary to Succeed

The United States wants Hungary to succeed. Washington’s goal is to continue building American–Hungarian cooperation with Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The U.S. administration led by President Donald Trump supports Hungary’s stance for peace and its commitment to pursuing policies rooted in its own national interests. These were among the key points discussed today by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They emphasized that the American protective umbrella remains in place, as do Hungary’s sanctions exemptions for as long as Viktor Orban is prime minister—grounded in the cordial relationship between the two leaders. Rubio reaffirmed that President Trump maintains an excellent and close relationship with the Hungarian prime minister.

During his visit to Budapest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Hungarian officials to strengthen shared bilateral and regional interests, including a commitment to peace efforts aimed at resolving global conflicts and deepening U.S.–Hungarian energy cooperation.

During his visit to Budapest, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Hungarian officials (Photo: AFP) 

As previously reported, Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Kossuth Radio Sunday that Rubio was travelling to Budapest to discuss prospects for peace and the future of Hungarian–American relations. 

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Source: Prime Minister's Office)

A golden age has dawned in Hungarian–American relations. Following my November visit to Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has now arrived in Budapest,

PM Orban wrote in a social media post.

Prior to the joint press conference, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Secretary Rubio signed a cooperation agreement.

PM Orban opened the press conference by saying:

The week has started well. It’s only Monday, and we have already concluded a cordial, friendly, and serious meeting with the Secretary of State of the United States.

He noted that the visit had been agreed upon during his November trip to Washington and thanked Rubio for honoring Hungary with his presence. The two leaders reviewed bilateral ties.

A golden age has begun in relations between the United States and Hungary,

PM Orban stressed. He added that in more than three decades in politics, he could not recall a time when relations between the two nations had been so high-level, balanced, and driven by goodwill, for which he expressed thanks to both President Donald Trump and to Secretary of State Rubio.

Perhaps we were at such a high point when President Bush Sr. visited us on the eve of the regime change, a visit that greatly contributed to our liberation from the communists and the Warsaw Pact. Since then, there have been good and bad periods in Hungarian-American relations, but we have never been as high as we are now. Since January last year, 17 American investments in Hungary have been decided. This is a decade-long record. Hungarians can once again travel to the United States without a visa. We are also grateful to the Secretary of State for this. Hungary has been invited to join the newly formed Board of Peace, which will have it's inaugural meeting this week, probably on Thursday, in Washington, D.C., where I will represent Hungary,

PM Orban said.

“We have concluded key agreements in the field of energy, covering oil, gas, and nuclear energy,” the prime minister said. Together with the sanctions exemption granted by President Trump allowing Hungary to continue using Russian oil and gas, these agreements ensure Hungary’s energy security and enable it to provide households and industry with comparatively low energy prices.

Orban also confirmed discussions regarding the potential acquisition by MOL of Serbia’s NIS refinery.

I reaffirm–no matter the amount of pressure from Europe–Hungary’s support for U.S. peace efforts in Ukraine.The current American president has done the most in international politics to bring peace to the Russia–Ukraine war. And I reiterate what everyone knows by now: had Donald Trump been president at the time, this war would not have broken out,

Orban stated.

According to the prime minister, if Donald Trump were not the president now, we would have no chance of resolving this peacefully in the foreseeable future, so we express our respect and gratitude to the President of the United States for his peace efforts. 

Hungary continues to stand ready to host a future peace summit in Budapest, he added, and confirmed that President Trump has an open invitation to visit Hungary.

Rubio: A Significant Agreement Between Hungary and the United States

Secretary Rubio described the “golden age” characterization as no exaggeration, stating that U.S.–Hungarian relations are closer than ever—not just rhetorically, but in concrete actions and tangible outcomes. And the agreement we signed is indeed based on the November meeting held at the White House, and we are delighted to have been able to sign this agreement, which we hope will be the first of many more to come.

Under Prime Minister Orban’s leadership, American investment in Hungary continues to grow, with the 17 recent projects underscoring our confidence in this cooperation. Hungary's leadership protects investments and enables Hungary to have a stable and competitive business environment, regarding regulations as well, affording opportunity for growth and prosperity. There are many other areas where we can cooperate, especially in the field of energy,

the Secretary of State said. “It is important to understand that we are living in a golden era of relations,” Rubio said, emphasizing the importance of personal relationships between leaders in shaping international partnerships.

It is important to understand how much relations between leaders determine relations between countries. We are all human beings, and the interpersonal relationships that you have established are of enormous importance in building these relationships and ensuring that they continue to develop. I think I can say with confidence that President Trump is very committed to your success, because your success is our success,

he added.

Rubio emphasized: I know that President Trump is very interested in this because of your relationship and because of Hungary's importance to the United States.

We are very happy to provide assistance with regard to financial matters. During your visit in November, we agreed to suspend sanctions against Hungary, grant exemptions, and move forward with energy cooperation. After all, we want the economy to function well. This is also in our national interest. Especially while you are Prime Minister, the leader of the country, it is in our national interest for Hungary to prosper. This also helps America, so it is an honor to be here with you today,

he added.

Marco Rubio emphasized: Your geopolitical role, whether outside the region or in the Middle East, is indispensable, and we are very grateful for that. That is why I came here after Munich, to further strengthen this relationship, and this is a sign that we have not only entered a golden age, but that we can go much further as people, as nations, as leaders, so thank you very much for having me here, and thank you for this warm invitation, welcome, and the very important discussions we have had. We touched on a lot of topics, a lot of issues, and I think this will be extremely important in Washington when I return home.

Zelensky Is Attacking Hungary

In response to a question about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticizing Hungary's prime minister for not supporting Ukraine’s EU accession, PM Orban said he did not wish to draw the secretary of state into Hungary’s domestic political debates.

The Ukrainians and their president have clearly intervened in the Hungarian election campaign. For a while, I wondered whether we should take issue with this or not. After all, it is not very common to see interference so blatantly in another country's election campaign. Then I realized that it was understandable. Because, of course, the Hungarian election is most important for the Hungarian people. But it also has an impact outside Hungary. And the Ukrainians are right to think that the type of government Hungary will have is significant. Hungary faces two options,

PM Orban explained that one is supported by the Hungarian people—who in the Voks 2025 vote rejected Ukraine’s EU membership out of concern it would draw Hungary into war and damage the economy. This would also mean giving Hungarian people's money to Brussels for them to finance Ukraine. The other option—favored by Ukraine, which seeks a Hungarian government willing to support Ukraine’s EU accession and share in its financial burdens. Who wins the Hungarian elections matters to Ukraine.

Ukraine has decided to participate in this campaign. We are not surprised by this and must accept that reality—and we must defeat them as well,

Orban said.
Everything else related to this, including the future of the war, goes beyond the scope of this press conference. I won't even get into it, I'll just return to the one aspect. This is an election. The people will decide in the election, and it matters to Ukraine what that decision will be, which is why they are participating in the Hungarian campaign with all their might. We know, by the way, that they are also financing our opponents, we know how this is happening, it is a documented, recorded, known fact, but I repeat, we should not be outraged, but rather acknowledge that this is the election campaign in Hungary, he emphasized.

Secretary Rubio added to this: 

the United States’ primary objective is to end the war. "We are the only country capable of bringing both sides to the table,” he said, noting that neither the United Nations nor European countries had succeeded in doing so. 

Military negotiators met in the Middle East last week and are scheduled to meet again in Geneva.

“We are not trying to impose anything on anyone. We simply want to help end what has been an incredibly destructive war—one that should never have happened,” Rubio said. "President Trump has put a lot of work into this and believes this is a unique opportunity to focus on ending it as soon as possible. I don't understand why some are criticizing him for this." 

Usually, the world celebrates when someone tries to end a war. We will continue to do so. That is why we took part in the negotiations, and we hope that this war will end as soon as possible – but it should never have happened in the first place. And indeed, if President Trump had been president of the United States at the time, it would not have happened. He wasn't, so here we are. We are trying to end this war, and if we succeed, the world will be a better place. If not, unfortunately, it will involve further suffering and many, many casualties. We hope we can end it. We'll see,

the Secretary of State said.

"When our national interests and other national interests are in harmony, we can build amazing partnerships, and we have found common ground with Hungary in many areas," Marco Rubio emphasized. "But we are not asking anyone to isolate themselves from anyone else. It must be understood that everyone has to contend with their own geographical, historical, and economic circumstances, as well as the challenges of the future."

We share certain concerns with our friends and partners, but I mentioned China, for example. We also have trade relations with China. In April, the president will travel to China. Why? Because China is a huge country with a billion inhabitants, the second largest economy, a nuclear power, and it would be crazy if the United States and China did not interact with each other,

Rubio said. He stated that there are, of course, differences. And these need to be addressed? Yes. He added: War is not good for anyone, we should not rely on a single country for 90 percent of our supply, especially when it comes to critical supplies, we want to diversify our supply chains. This is not anti-China, it is simply reality, as excessive dependence is simply not practical.

We expect to be able to serve the national interests of the US – we have been able to conclude trade agreements with China and South Korea –; geopolitics is difficult and complicated because it requires maturity and seriousness. It requires a certain foresight to anticipate the consequences, and weighing up relations between nation states in this way also demands maturity,

he added.

Rubio confirmed that President Trump has an excellent, close relationship with Prime Minister Orban, this has tangible results. I don't know what the future holds for this country; it's up to the voters. We love the Hungarian people. 

There is a very good personal and working relationship between the two leaders, which has had a noticeable positive effect on relations between the two countries.

The sanctions exemptions, he stressed, are rooted in that relationship and its importance to bilateral cooperation.

Viktor Orban concluded by reflecting on his decades in politics: "Not only am I Europe's longest-serving prime minister, with 20 years in office, but I am also the prime minister who has spent the longest time in opposition. I spent 16 years as leader of the opposition. "

As leader of the opposition. What does that mean? It means that sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. There is no question about what happens when we lose, because it has happened regularly. There is no need to fear what will happen in Hungary if that happens. Hungarian democracy is very strong, Hungarians believe very strongly in democracy and competition, including in politics. This has been the case for the past 35 years, so in this respect we have a very strong background both on the government side and in the opposition. We hope to remain in government after the elections, but Hungary will remain strong regardless,

the prime minister said.

Trump Visit to Hungary?

On the possibility of a Trump visit to Hungary, Rubio noted that the president would be pleased to come, though scheduling remains complex. "The President has clearly expressed how he feels about the Prime Minister, both personally and professionally," said Marco Rubio.
Orban emphasized that in today’s fast-moving international environment, significant developments can occur within days. He cited as an example the fact that he will be meeting with the U.S. President in Washington this Thursday is something that came about within the last two weeks. 

Events are unfolding and international politics are shifting in such a way that significant changes can happen in three or four days,

the PM noted, saying what is not yet set, may easily come about.

What I can tell you with certainty is that since the new president took office, there has not been a single point of conflict. I have not encountered a single one in the area of our cooperation with the United States. This was not the case before. When there was a Democratic administration, we had a lot of conflicts. We openly represented our position then as well. We were unable to cooperate with that administration. We are able to cooperate with the current one, but one thing has not changed: Hungarians always speak plainly, say what they want, why they want it, how they want it, what they object to, what they support. We are a reliable partner because it is part of our political culture: we are advocates of straight talk,

the prime minister stressed.

And the current president of the United States seems to represent the same school of thought. He doesn't mince words either. He says what he thinks is in the best interests of the United States. There are no taboos, we can talk about anything, the Hungary's head of government concluded. 

Cover photo: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban  (Source: Prime Minister's Office)