Hungary’s current strategic cooperation with the United States rests on the personal relationship and friendship between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Donald Trump, and maintaining this partnership is in Hungary’s national interest, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Budapest on Monday.

Speaking after talks with his American counterpart, Szijjártó noted that the visit marked the first trip to Hungary by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio since President Trump returned to office last year. According to the minister, the visit once again clearly demonstrates the strategic nature of cooperation between Hungary and the United States, built on the strong personal bond between the two leaders.

“The US Secretary of State made it clear that the current American administration and the president are both committed to maintaining strategic cooperation with Hungary,” he said.

Victor Orban Donald trump Budapest peace summit Putin
Are Hungary-US relations really this strong because of the Orbán-Trump friendship? Photo: Orbán Viktor/Facebook

Cheap Russian energy ‘secured through political ties’

Szijjártó argued that the visit also proved to doubters that Trump had agreed, because of his friendship with Orbán, to allow Hungary to continue purchasing discounted Russian oil and natural gas. This, he said, ensures the protection of the government’s household utility price caps.

He added that without the close relationship between the Hungarian prime minister and the US president, Hungarian families could now be paying three times as much for utilities, while fuel prices might have risen to as high as HUF 1,000 per litre.



Expanding financial and nuclear cooperation

The minister stressed that the US remains committed to deepening cooperation. He said Hungary can rely on American support in all areas and that talks will continue on developing new forms of financial collaboration.

Szijjártó also announced that the two countries had signed an important agreement on nuclear energy cooperation. Expanding Hungary’s nuclear capacity, he said, is a clear national interest, as it is the only way to meet rising electricity demand in a safe, environmentally friendly, affordable and stable manner.

“We have now entered into an alliance with the Americans in this field,” he added.

He noted that several new and previously unknown nuclear technologies are currently being developed, some of them in the United States, and Hungary aims to benefit from these innovations as quickly as possible.



Strategic partnership built on trust

Summing up the day’s discussions, Szijjártó said Hungarian–American relations are based on a personal connection that has evolved into a strategic alliance.

“The Americans are ready to maintain this cooperation, and preserving it is absolutely in Hungary’s national interest,” he concluded.

What happened before this: