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Trump is 'deeply committed to your success', Rubio tells Orbán
Rubio said the personal connection between Trump and Orbán is behind the strong relationship between the US and Hungary. He said:
We are entering this golden era of relations between our countries and not simply because of the alignment of our people.
But because of the relationship that you have with the President of the United States.
I don’t think it is any mystery and it should not be a mystery to anyone here how the president feels about you, how he interacted with you in his first term as president and now in his second term as president that relationship has grown even closer …
I can say to you with confidence that President Trump is deeply committed to your success.
Because your success is our success. Because this relationship we have here in central Europe through you is so essential and vital for our national interests in the years to come.
If you face financial struggles, if you face things that are impediments to growth, if you face things that threaten the stability of your country, I know that President Trump would be very interested because of your relationship with him and because of the importance of this country to us.
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Rubio was asked about Hungary’s deepening cooperation with China, a strategic rival of the US. The secretary of state answered by saying countries are meant to act in their individual national interests, even if that jars with the interest of an ally. Rubio said:
We are not asking any country in the world to isolate themselves from anybody. We understand that every country in the world has to deal with the reality of their geography, of their economy, of their history, and of the challenges of their future.
We will obviously share with partners and friends concerns we may have about certain things …
We have trade and relations with China. The president of the United States is going to travel in April to China. Why? Because China is a big country, it has a billion and something people, the second largest economy in the world, they have nuclear weapons. It is insane for the United States and China not to have relations and interact with one another.
Two big countries like this, do we have differences? We absolutely do, and we’ll have to manage those differences.
Hungary has become an important trade and investment partner for China, with Budapest keen to attract Chinese investment.
Rubio says US seems to be 'only nation on earth' to get Ukraine and Russia to talk to end the war
Taking questions from journalists, Rubio says that the US seems to be the “only nation on earth” that can get Ukrainian and Russian representatives “to the table to talk” to try to bring an end to the war.
“I’m not here to insult anybody but the United Nations hasn’t been able to do it. There are no other country in Europe that has been able to do it,” Rubio said.
He added:
We are not seeking to impose a deal on anybody. We are not trying to force anybody to take a deal they don’t want to take.
We just want to help them. Because we think it is a war that is incredibly damaging, we think it is a war that is incredibly destructive.
Rubio said that Trump has invested a “tremendous amount of time and political capital” to end the war. So far negotiations have faltered, with a few key sticking points remaining, notably on territory, as Russia sticks to its maximalist demands.
Rubio said the US granting Hungary a one-year exemption from US sanctions for using Russian oil and gas last year was because of the strong relationship between Trump and Orbán.
“It was because of that personal relationship, it’s because we want this economy to prosper, we want this country to do well. It’s in our national interest, especially as long as you are the prime minister and the leader of this country.”
Hungary has maintained its reliance on Russian energy since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting criticism from several EU and Nato allies.
Trump is 'deeply committed to your success', Rubio tells Orbán
Rubio said the personal connection between Trump and Orbán is behind the strong relationship between the US and Hungary. He said:
We are entering this golden era of relations between our countries and not simply because of the alignment of our people.
But because of the relationship that you have with the President of the United States.
I don’t think it is any mystery and it should not be a mystery to anyone here how the president feels about you, how he interacted with you in his first term as president and now in his second term as president that relationship has grown even closer …
I can say to you with confidence that President Trump is deeply committed to your success.
Because your success is our success. Because this relationship we have here in central Europe through you is so essential and vital for our national interests in the years to come.
If you face financial struggles, if you face things that are impediments to growth, if you face things that threaten the stability of your country, I know that President Trump would be very interested because of your relationship with him and because of the importance of this country to us.
Rubio dismisses perceptions by some that Hungary is being isolated on the international stage, pointing to US companies investing in the country due to its “strong leadership” that he says promotes a business friendly environment. Rubio singled energy out as a particular area where the two countries can cooperate on.
US-Hungary relations are as close as 'I can possibly imagine', Rubio says
Marco Rubio is up next. He starts by saying Budapest is an “incredibly gorgeous city”, admitting it is the first time he has visited the Hungarian capital.
Echoing Orbán’s “golden age” line, the US secretary of state said:
The relationship between the United States and Hungary is as close as I can possibly imagine it being. And it is not just close rhetorically, it is close in action and things that are actually happening.
I think some evidence of that is in the agreement we have just signed that builds on a historic meeting that we had in November at the White House …
The signed agreement we have had today is one that we hope will be many in the years to come.
Hungary backs US peace efforts in Ukraine, Orbán says
Orbán said Hungary will “continue to support the peace efforts” the US is leading on to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
“If Donald Trump had been the president of the United States this war wouldn’t have broken out,” he told journalists.
“And if he were not the president now then we would not even stand a chance to put an end to the war with peace.”
Orbán added that Hungary “remains ready” to provide a venue for a peace summit in Budapest, if this is possible.
Hungary has been at odds with other western countries over Orbán’s maintenance of ties to Russia and refusal to send arms to Ukraine.
Hungary has pushed back against plans by the European Commission to phase out the EU’s imports of all Russian gas and LNG by the end of 2027, deepening a rift with Brussels over relations with Moscow.
Relations between the US and Hungary are in 'a new golden age', Orbán says
Orbán said they “reviewed and overviewed” their bilateral relationships as there is a “new” US president, who the Hungarian leader says he is also having to adapt to.
A new golden age has set upon us concerning the relationship between the United States and Hungary.
We operate with understatements in the Hungarian language and in Hungarian politics …
I cannot remember – although for 30 odd years I have been present in politics – when the last time it was that the relationships between the two nations were at such a high level, so balanced and so friendly. So my heartfelt thanks go to President Trump.
Orbán said 17 US “investments” have “been decided upon” in Hungary since last January, a decades-long record he said, adding that he is grateful for Hungarians being allowed to travel to the US without a visa.
He started off by saying himself and Rubio had a “friendly and very serious” discussion.
The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán is now making some remarks.
