Marco Rubio ended his brief tour of Europe on Monday with a detour to Hungary. The head of American diplomacy briefly went there in support of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in difficulty before elections scheduled for April.

Published on: 02/16/2026 - 11:59 Modified on: 02/16/2026 - 22:59

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After Slovakia on Sunday, the head of American diplomacy completed his European tour of pro-Trump leaders on Monday February 16 with a brief visit to Hungary. Marco Rubio was there to support Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is in difficulty before elections next April.

“I can tell you with complete certainty that President Trump is deeply committed to your success, because your success is our success, because of the relationship we have,” he said at a press conference alongside the Hungarian Prime Minister.

For his part, Viktor Orban affirmed that there was "no reason to be afraid of what will happen in Hungary" after the election.

“The government will be formed based on the will of the Hungarians,” he added. “Sometimes I lose, sometimes I win,” recalled the leader, who returned to power in 2010. “So don’t be afraid of what will happen if we don’t win, because it happens regularly,” he said.

President Donald Trump makes no secret of his sympathy for the Hungarian nationalist leader, whom he describes as a "strong and powerful man", not hesitating to give him his full support in view of the legislative elections on April 12. He spoke on his Truth Social network of a "truly strong and powerful leader, with the proven ability to produce phenomenal results."

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Viktor Orban, 62, faces the toughest challenge since returning to power in 2010, with his Fidesz party trailing opposition party TISZA in polls ahead of the vote.

In a speech to the nation on Saturday, he pledged to continue his offensive against "pseudo-civil organizations, journalists, judges and bought politicians", not far from what the American president is undertaking in the United States.

Closeness shared with Vladimir Putin

The Hungarian Prime Minister, who has become the bête noire of Europeans, is accused of having silenced the critical voices of the judiciary, the academic world, the media and civil society, and of having restricted the rights of minorities.

The conservative leader also cultivates his closeness with Russian President Vladimir Putin, just like Donald Trump who welcomed him with great fanfare in Alaska last summer.

Arriving Sunday evening in Budapest, Marco Rubio, a practicing Catholic, immediately attended, away from the press, a mass celebrated in the famous Saint Stephen's Basilica, according to a State Department official on condition of anonymity. He was to have talks with the Hungarian leader on Monday morning before flying to Washington.

Also read: How the Munich Security Conference became the forum for global divisions

Marco Rubio arrived from Bratislava, where he saw Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Sunday, another nationalist leader close to Donald Trump.

The choice of these two Central European countries is of course not due to chance, especially as it complements the message sent by the Secretary of State to the Munich Security Conference.

Washington does not want a “dependent” Europe

In a speech given on Saturday, Marco Rubio called on Europeans to defend Western civilization threatened, according to the Trump administration, by mass immigration in particular.

If the head of American diplomacy also tried to reassure, with more or less success, Europeans worried about the intentions of the United States vis-à-vis NATO and Greenland, he above all encouraged Europeans to get behind the vision of the American president.

In Bratislava, however, he assured that Washington did not want a “dependent” Europe or one that was a “vassal”.

Also read: Marco Rubio, anti-communist and architect of Donald Trump's offensive on Venezuela

The Hungarian Prime Minister also announced his intention to travel to Washington to attend the inaugural meeting of the US President's "Peace Council" this week.

Viktor Orban is particularly close to the American administration because of its anti-migrant policy since the Syrian refugee crisis ten years ago. He visited Donald Trump's residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida on several occasions.

Just as in Slovakia, the energy question will be part of the discussions in Hungary, which obtained, during a visit by Viktor Orban to the White House last year, an exemption from American sanctions on imports of Russian oil and gas.

With AFP

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