JD Vance visits Hungary to support Viktor Orbán

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has the “complete and total support” of US President Donald Trump – but he is on track to lose what is shaping up to be one of the most important and contentious elections in the country this year.

On Tuesday, US Vice President JD Vance will travel to Hungary to support Orbán and address an election rally at a football stadium in Budapest ahead of Sunday’s election. While other European leaders have openly sided with Ukraine in its war against Russia, Orbán has maintained relatively close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He even said during the election campaign that the EU was a greater threat to Hungary than Russia.

Latest polls show that Orbán and his Fidesz party are set to lose to their main rival, the pro-European opposition party Tisza, and that the party’s leader, Peter Magyar, is on track to replace Orbán after 16 years in power.

This would be a significant change in a country where discussions are dominated by concerns about immigration, vulnerability to high energy prices, corruption and violations of the rule of law.

These violations led the European Commission to suspend EU funds to the country; Funds worth approximately 17 billion euros are still frozen.

Magyar said unlocking the funds would be his “number one priority” and signaled he would be open to closer ties with the EU, including the potential adoption of the euro.

In an interview with The Associated Press over the weekend, Magyar said “reaching a compromise” was an “art.”

He added: “The world seems to be passing by Europe. Europe has lost its competitiveness. Europe does not have strong enough leaders. There are no visionary leaders and Europe is falling behind.”

An analysis by the German Marshall Fund said Magyar’s premiership could mean a move away from the confrontational foreign policy pursued by Orbán, while also bringing Budapest closer to its Western allies on other issues, such as unity against Russia.

But a potential Hungarian government would not represent a definitive break from Orbán-era policies.

Immigration remains a controversial issue; So is the support for Ukraine. Tisza has taken a cautious stance on Ukraine’s EU ambitions and even supported Orbán’s government in the European Parliament, voting against sending troops or weapons to the front line.

Energy also remains a thorny issue. Hungary is currently in a dispute with Ukraine over oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline, which led to Budapest vetoing a 90 billion euro loan from the EU.

In recent weeks, Orbán has focused on allaying fears about an energy price shock resulting from the war in Iran. He accused Magyar of conspiring with the EU and Ukraine to cut off Hungary from cheap Russian oil.

The election campaign is also being closely monitored for any external interference from Russia, with a particular focus on reports of misinformation on social media.