Hungary's Orbán says the time for rearmament has come
Donald Trump could end the war
The Prime Minister said he went to the United States at Donald Trump's invitation and to improve the otherwise very poor US-Hungarian relations. This [a good relation] is not possible with the current Democratic government, he said.
He called Donald Trump a president of peace, because he had ended several wars in his first four years in office.
He has made it clear that his goal is to bring peace to the Russian-Ukrainian war. We want nothing but peace and a ceasefire as soon as possible,
said Orbán.
Hungary's image in the US is better than we think
Orbán also conversed with Donald Trump about plans to end the war in Ukraine, but did not comment on them, as the former president had not given him the authority to do so.
He did, however, reveal that the Heritage Foundation (which is putting together Trump's programme) has "a place of honour for Hungary", and that we have become a model country.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the revival of US-Hungarian economic relations.
It's time to rearm
Hungary is among the eight countries that meet NATO's 2% target. Donald Trump has already strongly criticised countries that do not meet the target.
In 2014, NATO Heads of State and Government agreed to commit 2% of their national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence spending, to help ensure the Alliance's continued military readiness. In 2024, 18 Allies are expected to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence – a six-fold increase since 2014, when only three Allies met the 2% or more guideline.
Orbán said that Donald Trump had promised not to give money to Ukraine, and that this would "end the war". The Prime Minister said that Europe alone cannot replace US support.
He said that a predictable, stable and secure Europe must be created through peace negotiations.
Well, if the Europeans are afraid of the Russians, or want a high level of security in general, they should pay for it. Either build their own army, their own equipment, or if they use the Americans to do it, then pay the Americans the price, the price of security,
he added, referring back to Donald Trump's criticisms of NATO.
The Prime Minister said that it is not easy for Hungary to find the resources, this money could be spent elsewhere. However, he added that
we must recognise that the time has come for rearmament in Europe. The Americans will not pay the bills for us, the security bills [...] we must be able to defend our own country.
Orbán stressed that the Russian-Ukrainian war has proved that security must be created by every country, "you cannot ride it out".
Trump's presidency would also be economically beneficial
Orbán said there is currently €9 billion of US investment in Hungary, and trade between the two countries is also worth €9 billion, of which Hungary profit is around €3 billion.
Orbán also said that US companies in Hungary have grown stronger during the Trump era, but that this is now being hampered by the suspension of the double taxation law in Washington.
It would mean a great deal for the Hungarian economy if a United States that is an ally and friend of ours would also consider Hungary a priority economic investment destination,
the Prime Minister said. He added that he would not expect such an opportunity in the event of Joe Biden's victory.
Praised and slammed
The former president and a small group of close advisers met with Orbán for roughly an hour Friday night, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, with one of the sources describing it as a “social meeting” with no agenda. A separate source called it “friendly.”
"The meeting continued Trump’s embrace of autocratic leaders pushing back against democratic traditions," Politico commented. It noted that Orbán has become an icon to some conservative populists for advocating “illiberal democracy,” including restrictions on immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orbán. He’s fantastic,
the former president told a crowd gathered for a concert at the Florida resort, as shown in a series of videos posted to Orbán’s Instagram account and X (formerly Twitter).
Trump added that the European autocrat is “a noncontroversial figure because he said, ‘This is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it, right? He’s the boss and … he’s a great leader, fantastic leader. In Europe and around the world, they respect him.”
Trump called the visit “an honor” and seemed to reference the pair staying in contact after he left White House in 2021, saying they “kept in touch.”
The meeting and subsequent admiration underscore Trump’s history of embracing global strongmen – at times at the expense of more traditional US allies.
Meanwhile, current US President Joe Biden said of Trump:
You know who he’s meeting with today down in Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of Hungary, who’s stated flatly that he doesn’t thinks democracy works, he’s looking for dictatorship.
“I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it,” Biden added, during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Friday.
