Washington supports Orban in the Hungarian elections… and the opposition warns of “concessions”

US Vice President, J.D. Vance, is expected to visit the Hungarian capital, Budapest, the day after tomorrow, Tuesday, in a crucial visit that highlights the White House’s readiness to support Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, before the national elections scheduled for April 12.

Orban is facing a decline in public opinion polls, in light of the emergence of the anti-corruption opposition leader, Peter Magyar, in his attempt to gain power in Budapest after 16 years of the Fidesz party leading power.

Hungarian government spokesman, Zoltan Kovac, described the American official’s visit as “a celebration of the deep relations between the two countries.” “This visit highlights the strong and enduring alliance between Hungary and the United States,” Kovac wrote on the “X” platform.

The US Vice President, known for his candor, will hold talks with Orban, a staunch ally of the “Make America Great Again” movement, and then deliver a public speech, during a visit that directly engages Washington in the final phase of an intense election campaign.

This American position is similar to the American efforts it made in Argentina last year, where American officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Picent, intervened to support Argentine President Javier Milley, before the midterm elections, to maintain a key ideological ally in a sensitive location in the hemisphere. As many senior American officials have made clear in several speeches and statements over the past 15 months since President Donald Trump returned to power in the White House, their belief that Europe is on the wrong political path, and that Orban, with his nationalist, populist orientation, represents a model to be emulated on the European continent.

The Hungarian prime minister has promoted his vision of illiberal democracy, while repeatedly clashing with Brussels over the EU’s approaches to immigration, Russia, and minority rights.

Vance had delivered a speech in which he harshly criticized Europe, at the Munich Security Conference in February 2025, and accused its leaders of ignoring the will of their people, overturning the election results, ignoring religious freedoms, and not taking any measures to stop illegal immigration.

The Trump administration has always had close relations with the Orban government since the US president’s first term, and this support now extends to a final campaign before the elections to keep him in power.

For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced, during a visit last February, a “golden era” in relations between the two countries, in reference to the growing importance of Hungary to the United States in light of the deterioration of relations with other European capitals.

Although senior officials in the Fidesz party expressed enthusiasm for Vance’s visit to Hungary, not everyone was impressed by it.

For his part, opposition leader Peter Magyar warned that the visit could be conditional, hinting at unannounced military arrangements, and indicating that Washington might seek “concessions” in exchange for its support. “Aid provided by the East or West has a price,” Magyar said, raising questions about what Hungary might be asked to provide in return, citing circulating reports that Russian contacts with senior Orban officials are deeper than previously known.

These allegations caused turmoil in the election campaign. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó recently admitted that he had been in contact with officials in Moscow, while European Union ministers were considering imposing new sanctions on the Kremlin’s allies. Reports indicate that Budapest has pushed to ease measures targeting Russian elites and oil shipments. About “Politico”

. Viktor Orban faces a decline in public opinion polls in light of the emergence of opposition leader Peter Magyar.

. American intervention included other allies, such as Argentine President Javier Milley, before the midterm elections.