A backup with an expiration date
Marco Rubio landed in Budapest with a clear mission: to give a public push to Viktor Orbán. The US Secretary of State met this Monday with the Hungarian Prime Minister to seal a civil nuclear cooperation agreement. The news was given by Donald Trump himself.
The timing is not coincidental. Hungary votes on April 12 in what will be the closest elections for Orbán since 2010. And Trump has openly supported his campaign.
“The close relationship between both leaders reflects the ideological affinity between Trump and Orbán, especially on issues of conservative nationalism and Euroscepticism,” the analysis points out.
Here is the pattern that many overlook: while Europe tries to disengage from Moscow, Hungary does the opposite. This nuclear pact would further reinforce the country’s energy dependence on Russia.
Orbán has been cultivating this image as a bastion against immigration and LGBTQ+ policies for years. We already know about the border fence in 2015. But this visit gives him something more valuable now: international legitimacy at a key moment.
Let’s not forget that Budapest is already the usual venue for CPAC, the great conservative event. This year there is an edition scheduled for March, just before the polls. Everything is calculated.
What I wonder, looking at my teenage son, is what remains after the diplomatic spectacle. These strategic agreements usually have more to do with electoral cycles than with long-term plans. History repeats itself: big promises, uncertain results.
The exemption from sanctions that Hungary received in November after Orbán’s visit to the White House has already marked the way. Now Rubio puts his signature. It is a wink between ideological allies, yes, but also a cold geopolitical move. The message for Europe is clear, and not exactly reassuring.
