Trump-Orbán Meeting: The Real Story

In the international media, the historic summit between the leader of the United States and the Hungarian premier has largely been described as Donald Trump receiving in the White House a European leader he fancies because of the similarities of their visions for their respective countries and many of their key policies. Of course, there is a lot of truth to that, not to mention that Orbán was given such an exceptional welcome in Washington also because he has been a steadfast supporter of Trump ever since he first ran for president, and there are few things the U.S. president values more than loyalty. But it is only part of the truth. 

In reality, what happened on November 7th was a historic U.S.-Hungary summit. Donald Trump, JD Vance, and several ministers of the U.S. administration received a delegation from the Hungarian government at the White House. In addition to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, key Hungarian ministers, business leaders, and communications experts traveled to Washington for important talks regarding Hungary’s foreign policy, as well as its energy and economic interests. 

The meeting proved fruitful in terms of the strategic cooperation between the two countries, which, from Hungary’s perspective, also means an opportunity to create financial and energy supply stability. But it was also an outstanding diplomatic success for Budapest. The Hungarian PM and leading government officials could negotiate directly with one of the world’s leading superpowers in the pursuit of ideological and financial independence from decision-makers in Brussels. And all this happened despite the efforts of the global liberal establishment and Brussels-supported Hungarian opposition to downplay the significance of the meeting itself and to portray it as ultimately irrelevant, even before it even happened. 

After the damage done by the Biden administration, the relationship between the United States and Hungary needed to be improved on several issues, be it the lifting of political sanctions, the restriction of the activities of activist NGOs that undermined the Orbán government with U.S. taxpayer money, or the possibility of visa-free travel for Hungarian citizens. 

For Hungary, cooperation with the United States is of strategic importance, especially considering the devastating effects of the protracted Russian-Ukrainian war and the withholding of EU funds. Beyond ideological and diplomatic issues, focus on such vital areas as the security of energy supply and the protection of Hungary from the effects of the war raging in its immediate vicinity were high priorities on the agenda.

The Hungarian delegation’s main objective was to coordinate efforts aiming to end the war in Ukraine, in particular regarding the possibility of Hungary providing a safe diplomatic environment for peace talks. Contrary to the impression created in the establishment media, the United States did indicate during the talks that there will be a peace summit, and it will be held in Budapest, no matter how much Brussels opposes it. 

But similarly important was to establish large-scale economic and energy cooperation with America, including exemption from some of the sanctions imposed on Moscow by Washington, so that Budapest could maintain access to Russian energy resources and simultaneously strengthen relations with Western partners. The success of the negotiations will allow the inclusion of LNG and more expanded nuclear technology in Hungary’s energy mix, which will facilitate the diversification of energy supplies and reduce Hungary’s unilateral dependence on certain raw material sources.

With Hungary receiving a full sanctions exemption for the use of the Turkish Stream and the Druzhba pipelines, which are currently the main routes for the domestic supply of Russian natural gas and oil, one of the signature policies of the Orbán government, the utility costs reduction program will remain sustainable, meaning that Hungarian families will continue to pay the lowest energy prices in the EU to heat and light their households. Further reducing unilateral Russian energy exposure, the parties also agreed that the American company Westinghouse would supply fuel elements for the Paks nuclear power plant, and the creation of an investment worth nearly $20 billion consisting of 10-12 small modular reactors (SMRs) was also agreed on, which will provide clean and affordable energy for energy-intensive sectors of the Hungarian industry in the long term. In addition to expanding financial ties and military-industrial cooperation, the Hungarian government has also entered into a partnership with the space company Voyager Technologies, strengthening the country’s access to and development of innovative technologies.

All this is especially significant if we consider that other countries, also highly reliant on the natural gas and oil pipelines coming from Russia, such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, and Croatia, have not requested or attained exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and natural gas imports, as opposed to Hungary, which boldly prioritized its national interests. 

However, the meeting did not only yield results for Hungary. The November 7th summit was both geopolitically and economically beneficial for the United States as well. The agreements reached allow for the expansion of U.S. exports in energy and technology. They also help the Trump administration consolidate its position of power in Central Europe, countering the EU’s centralizing regulatory policies and the rise of Russia and China. The agreements also strengthened U.S. involvement in Hungary’s connectivity strategy: a conscious effort from Budapest to not only serve as a logistics and energy hub in the Central European region, but also as a hub for global economic networks and the flow of goods, energy, and technology between the West and the East, while stabilizing its infrastructure and preserving its state sovereignty. 

Those who cry Russia 24-7 should appreciate the fact that Hungary seeks to build strategic synergies with the United States. The outcomes of the meeting are in fact of importance for the whole East–Central European region, raising its relevance on the global stage, strengthening its Atlanticist orientation, and are also encouraging for the conservative leaders of the Visegrád Four cooperation, politically and economically alike.