To strengthen relations with Eastern Europe, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday began a two-day visit to Slovakia and Hungary, whose conservative governments maintain close ties with US President Donald Trump and, at the same time, tensions with other European Union partners.
First modification: 02/15/2026 - 18:52
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a visit on Sunday aimed at strengthening US relations with Eastern Europe.
There will be two days of tour in Slovakia and Hungary, whose conservative leaders, often at odds with other EU countries, maintain close relations with President Donald Trump.
“They are countries that are very strong with us, very cooperative with the United States, they work very closely with us,” Rubio told reporters before leaving for Europe on Thursday.
Energy cooperation and bilateral issues, including commitments to NATO, are on the agenda, the State Department announced last week.
In Bratislava, Rubio was received by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, in the first visit by a US secretary of state in seven years. The head of American diplomacy also serves as Trump's national security advisor.
"An important topic of the talks was... defense cooperation and the fulfillment of commitments derived from NATO summits," Pellegrini's office said in a statement.
Rubio later met with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who visited Trump in Florida last month. The head of American diplomacy had just participated in the Munich Security Conference.
Meeting with Orbán
Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán is on the list of planned meetings. The meeting will take place on Monday.
“The president (Trump) has said that he firmly supports him, and so do we,” Rubio said regarding Orbán, behind in most polls ahead of elections in April.
Orbán is one of Trump's closest allies in Europe and is seen by the American hard right as a model for the president's tough policies on immigration and support for families and Christian conservatism.
Nothing strange considering that Budapest has repeatedly hosted the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which brings together conservative activists and leaders, and another edition is planned for March.
Links with Moscow and clashes with the EU
Fico and Orbán have clashed with the institutions of the European Union for several reasons.
On the one hand, the setbacks in democratic norms, which have been the subject of investigation. On the other hand, the links they have maintained with Moscow.
Both have been critics of the European Union. Fico, for example, has described the bloc as an institution in “deep crisis.” In addition, they have at times delayed imposing sanctions against Russia and opposed sending military aid to Ukraine.
Slovakia and Hungary have continued to buy Russian gas and oil, even as other countries in the bloc secured alternative supplies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This topic will be discussed, according to Rubio, although he did not give more details.
Fico has praised Trump, saying he will bring peace back to Europe, but criticized the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January.
So far, Hungary and Slovakia have not supported Donald Trump's demand that NATO countries raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Both have increased their military budget to the 2% minimum established by the Alliance, a figure that is below that of other partners.
In nuclear matters, Slovakia signed an agreement with the United States in January. Prime Minister Robert Fico indicated that the American company Westinghouse is the main candidate to build a new nuclear plant in the country.
With information from Reuters
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