J. D. Vance: Viktor Orban Is the Most Important Leader in Europe – Joint Press Briefing by Hungary's Prime Minister and the US Vice President

US Vice President J. D. Vance has arrived in Budapest, where he is taking part in several official programs together with Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The visit lasts until Wednesday, during which bilateral consultations will also take place between the two sides. J. D. Vance and Viktor Orban held a joint press conference on Tuesday.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban receives US Vice President J. D. Vance at the Carmelite monastery on April 7, 2026 (Photo: MTI/Hungarian PM's General Department of Communication/Akos Kaiser)

J. D. Vance, Vice President of the United States, and his wife have arrived in Hungary. During his visit to Budapest, the vice president is participating in multiple official programs alongside Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

J.D. Vance in Hungary (photo: Attila Polyak)

According to the official schedule, a large-scale event will also be held on Tuesday afternoon on the occasion of the Day of Hungarian-American Friendship.

The rally is hosted at the MTK Sportpark, where both Vice President J. D. Vance and Prime Minister Viktor Orban are set to deliver speeches.

Information about the vice president’s arrival had previously leaked, but the visit only became official last week. On Tuesday, Viktor Orban and J. D. Vance held a joint press conference.

At the press conference, Viktor Orban stated that the last time a US vice president visited Hungary was 35 years ago, and that Hungary has not received such a high-ranking guest from the United States in 20 years.

Twenty years is a long time, even among friends. With the election of President Trump, a golden age has begun in our relations,

Viktor Orban said. The Hungarian prime minister noted that 2025 was a record year in economic cooperation. The year 2026 has also started dynamically: trade volume has increased by 50 percent, and in March alone six American companies announced major investments in Hungary worth more than 100 billion forints. “Today we also reinforced our cooperation at a strategic level in the fields of the space industry and defense,” he added.

Viktor Orban expressed his gratitude, stating:

We thank President Trump and Vice President Vance for standing by Hungary in recent years and continuing to do so today. The United States is the strongest country in the world, and I can say with satisfaction that they are our allies today. Hungary’s peace and security are therefore guaranteed.

The Hungarian prime minister said that they also discussed the energy crisis Europe is facing.

Europe is heading toward the most severe energy crisis in its history. We are seeing drastic price increases, and if we do not act in time, shortages of energy, oil, and gas may develop. In this situation, Hungarian-American energy cooperation is especially important, because without it we would not be able to guarantee Hungary’s energy security or protect our household utility cost reduction scheme,

he said.

He added that they also discussed the peace efforts made by the United States, noting that Hungary has consistently supported the United States and President Donald Trump in this regard. Viktor Orban remarked that Hungary has been living in the shadow of war for four years, and stated: “We are convinced that if Donald Trump had been President of the United States in 2022, this war would never have broken out.”

And if the Europeans, more precisely Brussels, were not obstructing the president’s peace efforts, there would already be peace in Ukraine,

 the Hungarian prime minister added.

Viktor Orban also revealed that he informed Vice President Vance about the unusually aggressive and open foreign intelligence interference in Hungary’s electoral processes. “In light of this, we particularly appreciate and welcome the decisions of the President of the United States to put an end to American financial interference in the political processes of other countries,” he added. The prime minister noted that

I have long awaited this meeting and I am grateful it could take place, as it provided an opportunity to review the major questions of Western civilization with the vice president. It is no secret that there is ongoing dialogue between us and an exchange of governing experience, particularly in four areas: migration, gender ideology, family policy, and global security. In these areas, Hungary has significant experience and an extensive network of relations in Central Europe and the Balkans,

he explained. He emphasized that 

the conclusion of the meeting was that continuing cooperation is in the interest of both sides, and that strategic cooperation between the two countries will remain ongoing in the future.
With a grateful heart, I thank the vice president for honoring us with his visit to Hungary,

J. D. Vance: 

Vice President J. D. Vance conveyed the greetings of US President Donald Trump, noting that Donald Trump is a close friend of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “We want to build together on all the important and great things we have achieved. And of course, we would like to support the prime minister in this election period, in the election taking place this weekend,” J. D. Vance added. He continued by saying that 

I wanted to send a message with this visit, especially to the euro-bureaucrats in Brussels who are holding Hungary in check and blackmailing it because of the decisions of its leader. There are many ways to cooperate with Hungary, and cooperation is already working in many areas, especially in energy security and independence. It is quite remarkable to see some Western European leaders talk about an energy crisis while at the same time not supporting Viktor Orban’s energy policy. They could take a look at what is happening here in Hungary, where energy prices do not reach Western European levels.

J. D. Vance also stated that the United States wants Europe to be successful and energy independent, but Europe’s energy security cannot be guaranteed if it continues to follow past models. “I believe Prime Minister Viktor Orban has charted a wonderful path that can ensure energy security for Europe,” he added.

The vice president stressed that he did not want to limit the meeting to economic cooperation alone.

I would also like to highlight the areas of moral cooperation, because the cooperation between Viktor Orban and President Trump makes it possible for our children to receive education in schools, not indoctrination. And let me also emphasize to the ten million Hungarians that your leadership is highly constructive and committed to the path of peace,

the US vice president added.

Regarding the upcoming elections in Hungary, J. D. Vance stated that what has taken place during the campaign represents one of the worst examples of how an external power can interfere in the electoral processes of a sovereign country. “Brussels has sought to undermine Hungary’s energy independence, and they have done so because they dislike the gentleman standing next to me,” he said, adding that Hungarians should ask themselves who truly serves their interests. “That is why I want to express my support for Viktor in this campaign, because we have discussed concrete issues, not empty slogans,” he added. He stressed that Hungarian voters are adults and should not be treated like children by a foreign capital or another power center. “We are here because we find the level of influence that Brussels has attempted to exert on Hungarian elections deeply troubling,” he concluded.

Responding to a question, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said it is particularly important for Hungary that the United States, under President Trump’s leadership, stands on the side of peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. As he put it, when an American and a Hungarian politician meet, they cannot avoid discussing the war, since many Hungarians live in Ukraine, “who are being conscripted, often taken away under brutal coercive conditions, and they die.”

So it is impossible not to talk about the Russia-Ukraine war at a meeting like this. Especially because earlier the president of the United States initiated the idea of a peace summit between the United States and Russia, and proposed Budapest, Hungary, as the venue, which is practically the only possible European location. Hungary said yes to this, and we even discussed the conditions of this peace summit, down to the level of technical preparations, with both the president of the United States and the president of Russia,

the Hungarian prime minister said. The US vice president added that the president of the United States is working for peace in Ukraine because war is bad for trade, bad for the economy, bad for morale, and carries both a moral burden and a moral cost. “Viktor Orban has helped us greatly in understanding what the Ukrainians need in order to move toward peace, and what would be required on the Russian side to move toward peace and come to the negotiating table,” he said, adding that this is what they are working on. However, he noted that Europeans are also needed—those who understand the stakes and how negotiations must be conducted.

In this regard, Viktor has provided tremendous support. He has also offered Budapest as the venue for a summit, and I believe Hungary is a positive force for peace,

he added.

J. D. Vance also stated that it has become clear that there are elements within Ukrainian intelligence that have attempted to interfere in US elections, and now possibly in Hungary's elections as well. “In the previous election, in November 2024, President Trump won comfortably despite such interference. I believe Viktor is not particularly troubled by these kinds of interventions either,” he added.

As previously reported, Vice President of the United States J.D. Vance has become one of the staunchest defenders of Hungary's sovereignty. He has consistently stood up for Hungary’s family and migration policies while criticizing Brussels' anti-Hungarian measures. The vice president arrived in Budapest for a visit on April 7.