Mr Orbán recalled: a US vice president had last been to Hungary 30 years ago, and we had not had such a high-ranking visitor from the United States for 20 years. He highlighted: upon the election of Donald Trump, a golden era set in in Hungarian-US relations, 2025 was a year of records in economic cooperation. Also this year, the volume of trade has increased significantly, in March as many as six US companies announced major investments in Hungary to the value of more than HUF 100 billion. Today, the parties have reinforced the strategic level of cooperation also in the areas of the space industry and defence, he indicated.
He also spoke about the fact that the world was heading for a severe energy crisis, and therefore, in his opinion, Hungarian-US cooperation was especially important, without which it would not be possible to guarantee Hungary’s energy security and to maintain the reduction of household energy bills.
He further mentioned the United States’ peace efforts which, in his words, Hungary has always supported. “I’m convinced that had Donald Trump been president of the United States in 2022, this war would never have broken out in the first place,” he said in reference to the Russo-Ukrainian war, adding that if Brussels were not hindering the US President’s peace efforts, peace would have been restored in Ukraine a long time ago.
Mr Orbán stressed: there is an unusually brutal and open foreign intelligence interference in the Hungarian elections. In light of this, we especially welcome the decision of the President of the United States with which he put an end to US financial interference in the political processes of other countries, he laid down.
He said together with J.D. Vance they also reviewed the overarching issues of western civilisation. An exchange of government experiences is especially important in four areas: migration, gender ideology, family policy and global security as in these fields Hungary has major experience and a network of contacts, Mr Orbán pointed out.
Both parties have a vested interest in the continuation of cooperation; strategic cooperation between the two countries will remain in place and will be continuous in the future as well, he laid down.
In answer to a question, he said he spoke to Mr Vance about the Russo-Ukrainian war. He described this as a painful topic, stressing that this is a war between two Christian countries, and additionally, in the territory of Europe. He highlighted: he has always held the President of the United States in the highest esteem for the fact that from the very first moment, he has always regarded these two dimensions as the most important, and in contrast to the previous president, he clearly stands for peace.
At the same time, he further drew attention to the fact that Hungarians were also dying in the Russo-Ukrainian war as a great many Hungarians lived in the current territory of Ukraine “who are conscripted, are often taken away amidst coercive circumstances, and die.”
He recalled: earlier, US President Donald Trump initiated the organisation of a peace summit between the United States and Russia, and recommended Budapest as the venue. Hungary said yes to this, and discussed technical preparations for a peace summit with the presidents of both the United States and Russia, he added.
“Also today, Hungary is ready, if the United States and the Russians believe that they need a peace summit between the two of them, Budapest remains happy to host this meeting and to be at the disposal of the parties,” he said.
The Prime Minister was also asked about what would happen to Europe, and to Hungary more specifically, as there was no oil coming either from Russia or from the Middle East. Mr Orbán said he does not want to hide the fact that the Hungarian situation is difficult. He recalled: the Ukrainians first imposed a blockade, at the end of 2022, on the gas pipeline supplying gas to Hungary from Russia, but, he said in continuation, they managed to avert this with the TurkStream gas pipeline.
“Then now, shortly before the elections, I think in connection with the elections and in the interest of improving the chances of a pro-Ukraine government, they also blockaded our oil pipeline, the oil pipeline which is the Hungarian economy’s umbilical cord,” he added. He stressed: in this situation, they must supply the Hungarian economy and Hungarian consumers with fuel and energy, and must compel the Ukrainians to reopen the pipeline.
“We have a plan for this, we are implementing this plan step by step, and I’m convinced that in the end, once the patriotic forces win the elections in Hungary, the Ukrainians will have no choice, but to abandon the oil blockade and to reopen the Druzhba oil pipeline, in which case Hungary will be able to return to within the boundaries of normal economic operations,” he stated, adding that “this will be so.”
He was of the opinion that the European pro-war and pro-Ukraine strategy has failed because “it was a very strange idea” in the first place that by helping the Ukrainians, in a protracted war, it would be possible to put Russia into such a difficult economic situation that the Russians would be compelled to attend the ensuing peace talks in a weakened state. He stressed: this is “a strange idea” because Europe – which has neither raw materials, nor energy – wanted to win an economic war against a country which has unlimited supplies of energy and raw materials.
In reference to the energy crisis that has developed due to the war in Iran, Mr Orbán pointed out: now, all of a sudden, everything that the Russians have has increased in value, and so they have found themselves in a much more favourable situation than at any time before. “Here, we will face an entirely new situation after the elections in Hungary,” he indicated.
