Vance plans visit to Hungary in support of Orban ahead of uncertain elections

(Patria) - US Vice President JD Vance plans to visit Hungary in the coming days to show support for long-serving nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces a tough election next month, two sources familiar with the planning said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

The visit would follow US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip to Budapest in February to publicly back Orban ahead of his toughest re-election battle since taking power in 2010. Polls show him trailing in the final month before the April 12 vote.

The exact timing of the visit was not immediately clear and plans could change, the sources cautioned, as senior officials might decide to stay in Washington amid the US-Israel war against Iran. President Donald Trump said he was postponing his trip to China due to the war. Orban, one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, has long been at odds with the European Union over a range of issues, including Ukraine. Defying Brussels, he maintains cordial ties with Russia, refuses to send weapons to Ukraine and says Kyiv can never join the European Union.

Trump endorsed Orban last month, calling him a “really strong and great leader” in a social media post, and many on the American far-right see him as a role model for Trump’s hardline immigration policies and embrace of Christian conservatism. Trump has backed conservative leaders around the world, such as Argentina’s Javier Milei and Japan’s Sanae Takaichi.

Vance has emerged as a powerful vice president who is often pivotal and deeply involved in foreign policy. He is also the most likely frontrunner to succeed Trump in 2028. Rubio said during his trip to Hungary that Orban’s leadership was key to US interests, but suggested that continued close ties depended on Orban’s re-election. He also indicated that Washington would be prepared to financially assist Budapest, if necessary.

The campaign has entered its final month, with polls showing Orban’s Fidesz trailing the opposition Tisza party led by Peter Magyar, although many voters remain undecided. The election, held as Hungary faces sluggish growth and the continued fallout from surging inflation following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, will have major implications for Europe amid the rise of conservative and far-right political movements.