Rubio’s visit to Budapest on Monday was designed to underline U.S. support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of Hungary’s April 12 election, with the U.S. secretary of state publicly framing Orbán’s political prospects as closely tied to those of President Donald Trump. Speaking after meetings with Orbán and Hungarian officials, Rubio said the relationship between Orbán and Trump has operated as more than routine diplomacy.
Rubio described the personal connection between the two leaders as a key factor in improving relations between the United States and Hungary, saying at a news conference that the leaders have a “very, very close personal relationship and working relationship” and that it had been “beneficial” for both countries. Rubio also told Orbán that Trump is “deeply committed to your success because your success is our success,” and said the person-to-person connection “has made all the difference in the world” in building the relationship.
The trip included a nuclear cooperation component alongside the political endorsement. Rubio signed an agreement with the Hungarian government on U.S.-Hungarian civilian nuclear cooperation, according to the Associated Press, covering potential purchase of compact nuclear reactors—small modular reactors, or SMRs—as well as U.S.-supplied nuclear fuel and spent fuel storage technology.
The endorsement and meetings also fit Rubio’s broader travel schedule in Central Europe. The Associated Press reported that Rubio’s stop in Hungary followed a visit to Slovakia on Sunday and came after he attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where the politics and energy concerns of the region have been prominent.
The announcement lands with Orbán seeking another term after leading Hungary since 2010 and with Trump appearing as a prominent ally of his government inside the European Union. The Associated Press reported that Orbán has been among Trump’s most vocal supporters in the EU and that he has sought to cultivate Trump’s favor in the period leading up to the April vote, which is expected to be the most challenging contest of his last 16 years in power.
Rubio did not specify on Monday how long the U.S. sanctions exemption for Russian energy that Orbán received after a November White House meeting would last. He made the trip during a period when the EU has a plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels entirely by the end of 2027.
Orbán used the visit with Rubio to advance additional diplomatic themes, telling Rubio that Hungary is ready to host any future trilateral peace summit among the United States, Russia and Ukraine, and that Trump has an “open invitation” to Budapest. The prime minister also said Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were seeking to interfere in Hungary’s elections, including by criticizing Orbán’s opposition to providing weapons or financial aid to Kyiv and by warning against allowing Ukraine’s eventual membership in the EU.
In the Associated Press report, the endorsement and the Trump-Orbán alignment were also placed in the context of conservative politics in both the United States and Europe. The report said many in MAGA and the broader conservative world view Hungary as a model of conservative nationalism, even as the democratic institutions in Hungary have faced erosion and the country remains among the poorest in the European Union.
The Associated Press also cited examples of how Orbán’s government has aligned with U.S. conservative priorities on immigration and LGBTQ+ issues. It reported that the Hungarian government erected a fence on the country’s southern border in 2015 as refugees fled Syria and other places in the Middle East and Africa, and it reported that the government last year banned the Budapest Pride celebration and allowed facial recognition technology to identify participants despite the ban. The report also said Hungary has effectively banned same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage and that it has disallowed transgender individuals from changing their sex in official documents.
Rubio’s endorsement and nuclear deal came as Orbán and his government have sought to intensify attention in the run-up to the April vote, including by drawing U.S. conservative figures and hosting major political events such as the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Budapest. The Associated Press said that after the election date approached, another CPAC iteration was rescheduled to fall in March, ahead of Hungary’s vote.