While Western and Hungarian mainstream media reports have suggested that the relations between the United States and Hungary have “cooled” recently, in particular following the “controversial” amendment of the Hungarian Basic Law, the facts say otherwise.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke on the phone on April 15th. The readout of the conversation, posted on the State Department’s (DoS) website, said Rubio “emphasized the importance of further strengthening defense and energy security cooperation.” The two also discussed strategic engagement “beyond Europe—in Latin America and with China.”
The Secretary informed Foreign Minister Szijjártó of senior Hungarian official Antal Rogán’s removal from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, noting that continued designation was inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy interests.
Szijjártó shared the news on X, highlighting that during the phone call, he assured Rubio of Hungary’s full support of President Trump’s peace initiative, discussed Hungary’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, the visit of Israeli premier Netanyahu to Budapest, and the upcoming CPAC in Budapest.
According to Szijjártó,
There is no doubt that Hungarian–American relations have entered a new chapter, marked by mutual respect, shared priorities and close cooperation.
The swift scrapping of the entry ban imposed by the previous administration on Rogán, a close aide of Viktor Orbán and a senior cabinet minister, is a clear signal that the Trump administration considers the Orbán government an important ally.
