US Vice President J.D. Vance said he supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban because he is “one of the few who stands up to the Brussels bureaucracy that is harming the United States.”
He said this in an interview with Fox News.
“We certainly knew that there was a very high probability that Victor would lose this election. We did this because he is one of the few European leaders willing to stand up to the bureaucracy in Brussels, which we believe has been very, very harmful to the United States,” Vance said.
When asked about the Hungarian Prime Minister's connection with Vladimir Putin's regime, the Vice President emphasized that Orban defended the interests of the United States, so this support does not apply to Russia and Europe.
“For example, when a European bureaucrat speaks out against an American company, sometimes the only voice against, the only voice in defense of American interests, was Viktor Orban. We didn't go because we expected him to win the election easily. We went because we thought it was right to support a person who had supported us for a very long time. So it wasn't about Russia and, in fact, it wasn't about Europe. It was about the United States and the fact that he was a good partner both for me personally and for the president, and for the United States in general,” Vance said.
The Vice President emphasized that he is sorry that Orban lost, but he is confident that the US will have good relations with the new prime minister.
“I'm sorry he lost. I'm sure we'll work very well with the next prime minister of Hungary. But it wasn't a bad trip at all. Because it's worth supporting people, even if you don't win every race,” he explained.
What is known about the meeting between J.D. Vance and Viktor Orban
On April 7, US Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Hungary to support the country's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of the parliamentary elections on April 12.
During the meeting, Orban and Vance discussed Russia's war against Ukraine. They did not recognize Russia as an aggressor, and Orban stated that “two Christian countries are waging war against each other.” Orban called the Trump administration's position on the Russia-Ukraine war “pro-peace.”
When asked how Hungary is reacting to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting global energy crisis, Viktor Orban accused Ukraine of allegedly “counteracting Hungary's national forces” by not launching the Druzhba oil pipeline damaged by Russian attacks.
After the press conference, J.D. Vance and Viktor Orbán went to the MTK Sportpark sports complex in Budapest, where they met with Fidesz voters and Prime Minister Orbán. The meeting took place as part of the Hungarian-American Friendship Day.
Parliamentary elections in Hungary
Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on April 12. The turnout was record-breaking — 79.5% of voters. The final vote count is still underway, but with over 98% of votes counted, the opposition Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, is winning by a landslide and gaining a constitutional majority in parliament.
The current Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, who leads the Fidesz party, admitted his defeat and congratulated Peter Magyar on his victory.
In his victory speech, the leader of “Tysy” announced a course to restore cooperation with NATO and the EU, in particular with the Visegrad Four countries, and announced that he would make his first official visit to Poland.