Donald Trump tasked his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside his duties in Munich, to gently “grill” the Europeans and to visit and show support for his loyal friend and like-minded ally Viktor Orbán. Through Rubio, Donald conveyed that he is committed to the success of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and stressed that his leadership is crucial for American national interests, offering strong U.S. backing to the nationalist leader who faces elections in April.
Orbán is clearly not having an easy time if he is calling for help from the powerful figure across the Atlantic, who has effectively remained his only real friend. European leaders do not like him and avoid him, he fears Putin, while Xi Jinping does not socialize with anyone anyway.
Naturally, the rhetoric at the joint press conference between Rubio and Orbán was very sweet-sounding, so the Secretary of State said relations between the United States and Hungary are entering a “golden age,” but it seems conditioned on the continuation of Orbán’s leadership.
“President Trump is deeply committed to your success because your success is our success,” Rubio said. “We want this country to prosper. That is in our national interest, especially while you are the prime minister and leader of this country,” Rubio stated.
The relationship between the United States and Hungary today is extremely close. And it is not only rhetorical — it is close in action and real events. The proof is the agreement we have just signed, Rubio added. It is a civilian nuclear agreement that should ensure Hungary’s independence from Russia. Thus, the American company Westinghouse will supply fuel for Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant; there is also a potential purchase of compact nuclear reactors and technology for storing spent fuel.
What will happen in Hungary after the parliamentary elections in April depends on the voters, Rubio said after the meeting with the Hungarian prime minister.
In the parliamentary elections on April 12, Orbán will face the strongest competition since his party Fidesz came to power with a landslide victory in 2010. The elections will have major implications for Europe and the strengthening of conservative and far-right political movements. Orbán, long one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, has often clashed with the European Union on a range of issues, while at the same time maintaining cordial ties with Russia and criticizing Ukraine.
Many on the American far right consider Orbán a model for Trump’s tough immigration policy and support for Christian conservatism.
But in Hungary different winds are blowing. The opposition is no longer so weak and divided, and pressure on Orbán from Brussels has not ceased for years. If Orbán loses the election, right-wing conservatives in Europe will definitely lose their main pillar and role model, and new policies will gain momentum. However, the migration issue will remain, but it will be shaped and implemented in a different way than the brutal approach of Orbán and Trump.
Although the United States is a valuable and important partner, in the end Orbán will realize that it is better to have good relations with those who are geographically and geopolitically close to you than with some distant “brother” with whom you can eat and drink well, and then everyone goes home.
Written by: Ivica Buljan
Foto: Wikimedia/Gage Skidmore – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic – CC-BY-SA-2.0
