Vance visits Orban, accuses Brussels, agrees on US oil purchase

(Patria) - US Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Budapest, where he offered a series of praises to Hungary and its Prime Minister Viktor Orban, just days before the crucial parliamentary elections in that country to be held on April 12.

Ahead of the meeting, Vance told Orban: "The President loves you, and so do I," calling him "one of the few true statesmen in Europe" and wishing him luck in the elections.

The purpose of Vance's visit is to support the campaign of the long-serving Hungarian nationalist leader at a time when numerous polls predict he could lose the election, Reuters writes.

Orban, a Eurosceptic prime minister in power since 2010, faces the toughest re-election battle of his career. Polls indicate that his Fidesz party could lose to the Tisa party, led by former Orban colleague Peter Magyar, in Sunday's elections.

Vance said he was in Budapest for "moral cooperation" between the US and Hungary.

He accused bureaucrats in Brussels of trying to destroy Hungary's economy and make it less energy independent. He also said that the amount of interference by the bureaucracy in Brussels is "truly shameful." He also claimed that Hungary has witnessed one of the worst examples of foreign interference in elections.

Speaking about Ukraine, Vance said it is in the interest of Ukraine, Europe, Hungary, and the US for the war to end as soon as possible. He also pointed out that the European Union made a "big mistake" when it abandoned oil and gas from the East.

"The roots of this conflict were sown long before the fighting began, when European leaders decided to rely so heavily on a certain energy model that they abandoned oil and gas from the East. That was a big mistake then, and it is clear today that it is still a big mistake," he said.

He added that the US wants to help Europe by supplying liquefied natural gas, which weakens Russia and allows European consumers lower energy prices, but also greater security in case of conflict.

"Interestingly, those who accuse others of pro-Russian policies are actually responsible for creating an energy-weak Europe," he said.

Bloomberg News reports that the Hungarian oil company MOL will agree to purchase 500,000 tons of American oil worth about $500 million.

Orban's rival Magyar wrote on the X platform before Vance's arrival that Hungary's history is "not written in Washington, Moscow, or Brussels" but on "Hungarian streets and squares."