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Rescuing PM Orbán? US Vice President Vance has landed at Budapest Airport —will his visit help Orbán win on Sunday?
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US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Hungary half an hour ago. At Budapest Airport, he was welcomed by Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó. His convoy will head to Buda Castle, where he will meet Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The leaders will discuss US-Hungary relations at an afternoon event following a joint press conference.
Vance is in Budapest
US Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, arrived in Hungary on an official visit on Tuesday morning, the Hungarian News Agency reported. The vice president, who arrived in Budapest on a two-day visit, was greeted at Liszt Ferenc International Airport with military honours by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. His convoy headed to Buda Castle, where he met PM Viktor Orbán to discuss US-Hungary relations at an afternoon event following a joint press conference.
Hungarian journalist Zsolt Kerner wrote this morning that the Americans realised losing Orbán would be a bigger loss than the risk of campaigning for him. That is why Vance came to Budapest. Boarding his jet in the USA, Vance called Orbán his friend.
This is the first time an American vice president in office has visited Hungary. President George H. W. Bush visited in 1989, while his son, George W. Bush, came in 2006.
Péter Magyar’s message to Vance
Poll leader Péter Magyar, head of the opposition Tisza Party, said nobody should use Hungary in their geopolitical games, as only the Hungarian people will decide our country’s fate. He also sent a message to VP Vance: regardless of what they agree on, the Tisza government forming after 12 April will not send Hungarian troops to Chad or Iran and will not participate in any military conflicts.
According to the HVG, Orbán’s Fidesz recruited participants for the event from members of the so-called DPKs, or digital civic circles. These are people who like, share, and comment on social media posts in favour of Orbán, Fidesz, and their allies.
Huge MOL deal on the horizon?
A political analyst speaking to ATV said the meeting’s effect on Sunday’s general election outcome is highly questionable. Attila Tibor Nagy noted that Vance’s profile enjoys only modest recognition in Hungary. Therefore, his visit to Budapest can matter for the elections only if they announce something important.
According to an insider speaking to Bloomberg, the big announcement will be an oil purchase deal. Hungary’s MOL will buy 500,000 tonnes of crude from the Americans for 500 million dollars. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but Bloomberg wrote that the two parties would announce them at today’s press conference. The Hungarian company increased its Russian crude purchases following Trump’s exemption granted on Orbán’s November visit to Washington.
Tamás Magyarics said it was hard to guess the topics the leaders would discuss. The range is wide, from the so-called American financial shield to energy questions, especially PM Orbán’s exemption from the Russian oil sanctions.
Economist and former National Bank head Ákos Péter Bod said American investors are mostly interested in Czech, Romanian, and Polish opportunities rather than Hungary.
Following the meeting between President Putin and President Trump in Alaska, Budapest emerged as a possible venue for their next summit. Later, PM Orbán wanted to invite only Trump to Budapest to help secure the general election.
We wrote in January how that plan fell apart.
- There will be road closures and additional traffic restrictions in Budapest due to Vance’s visit, which we summarised in a separate article yesterday.
Featured image: FM Szijjártó greeting US VP Vance at Budapest Airport. Source: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter
Higher inflation and weaker growth ahead are inevitable for the global economy as a consequence of the Iran war, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Monday as the institution prepares to cut its forecasts. The Iran conflict has sent shockwaves through the global economy that are unlikely to unravel anytime soon, even if the war is brought to a rapid resolution. — SZIJJARTO GIVE THANKS FOR THIS TO JD.
JD will fly out of Budapest mere hours before he and Trump bomb Iran into the “Stone Age”. There are your “Men of Peace” that Orban allies himself with. On Monday, Trump said, “the entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.” He vowed to destroy Iranian power plants and infrastructure if Tehran refused to agree before the deadline. Without a deal, Trump said, “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” by midnight ET on Wednesday, and “every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again.” Trump is crossing the line into being a war criminal and Orban invites these people to Hungary. Shame!
As JD and Fat Man Orban do their propaganda election interference conference Dictator Trump posts the following: “A whole civilization (Iran) will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” Is this what Hungarians support – the complete destruction of Iranian civilization by fascist mad man Trump?
Dear Larry, I see that today in your anti-Hungarian B.S. the yanks are running around your brain and not the Russians, are you confused?
The BS is allying yourself with a mad man fascist dictator who says “A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight” and then say both you and Trump are for “Peace”. Anyone who can’t link up fascist Trump with his fascist wannabe best friend Putin doesn’t understand anything. Both these people seek to divide and conquer Europe and Orban assists both as Orban wishes also to bring about the destruction of the EU and NATO. Trump is not the “Yanks”. He is a dictator who has taken over and who is taking apart the Western World which has had stability since 1945. Hungary is screwed big time if it doesn’t change direction.