US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel next week to Hungary, the State Department said on Monday, following President Donald Trump’s public endorsement of the country’s right-wing leader Viktor Orban, who is trailing in opinion polls ahead of April elections.
Rubio will also visit Slovakia, another country led by a right-wing leader allied with Trump, after attending the Munich Security Conference. Last year at the gathering, Vice President JD Vance sharply criticised the European Union and voiced support for Europe’s far right.
Rubio, often viewed as a more measured figure within the Trump administration, will represent the United States at the conference this year in place of Vance.
The trip comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Brussels, after Trump suggested the United States could seize Greenland from Denmark, a fellow NATO member.
In Budapest, Rubio “will meet with key Hungarian officials to strengthen shared bilateral and regional interests, including our commitment to peace processes aimed at resolving global conflicts and the US–Hungary energy partnership,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
‘A true friend’
Orbán stands out among European Union leaders for his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has repeatedly opposed EU efforts to bolster support for Ukraine.
Last year, Orban sought to arrange a summit between Trump and Putin, but the plan was abandoned after US officials concluded that Russia was unlikely to make concessions on the war.
Trump last week endorsed Orbán in a social media post, calling the EU’s longest-serving national leader “a true friend, fighter, and WINNER”.
The endorsement comes as Orbán faces his toughest political test in years. Polls ahead of the April 12 election show him trailing the party led by Peter Magyar, a former government insider turned critic, as Orban seeks a fifth consecutive term.
Orban gained admiration among Trump supporters for his hardline stance on migration during Europe’s Syrian refugee crisis a decade ago.
During Orban’s visit to the White House last year, Trump granted Hungary an exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports.
Former president Joe Biden, by contrast, maintained a far more confrontational relationship with Orban, accusing him of authoritarian tendencies, including restricting independent media and campaigning against LGBTQ rights.
In Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico has also aligned himself closely with Trump. However, Fico’s recent visit to Florida drew controversy after Politico, citing unnamed European diplomats, reported that he had expressed concern about Trump’s mental state — a claim denied by both governments.
During his stop in Bratislava, Rubio “will meet with senior Slovak officials to advance shared regional security interests, deepen cooperation on nuclear energy and energy diversification, and support Slovakia’s military modernisation and NATO commitments,” the State Department said.
