US Vice President Vance departs for Hungary in support of Orban / Photo: Jonathan Ernst - POOL/AFP
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US Vice President Vance departs for Hungary in support of Orban
US Vice President JD Vance flew to Hungary Monday night to deliver Donald Trump's support to his ally, nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, ahead of tightly contested parliamentary elections.
"We'll talk about any number of things related to the US-Hungary relationship," Vance told the press as he departed from Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington. "Obviously, I'm sure Europe and Ukraine and all the other stuff will figure in pretty prominently."
Vance is scheduled to meet with Orban and also deliver a speech on "the rich partnership between the United States and Hungary," according to a statement from his office.
The 41-year-old conservative is, within the US administration, one of the fiercest critics of centrist and progressive European governments and one of the most fervent supporters of far-right parties in Europe.
His visit is a show of support for Orban in the final stretch before Sunday's elections.
Orban, 62, has been in power for 16 years and is close to Moscow. According to analysts, he has benefited from covert Russian assistance to boost his chances of reelection.
Polls by independent institutes predict a sweeping victory for the Tisza party led by pro-European conservative Peter Magyar.
In two years, Magyar has built an opposition movement capable of challenging the hegemony of the incumbent Hungarian leader, who has transformed his country into a model of illiberal democracy.
Pro-government institutions, for their part, predict victory for Orban's Fidesz-KDNP coalition.
Since returning to power, Trump and his government have broken with the traditional restraint past US administrations have shown regarding foreign elections. Instead, it now strongly and openly shows support for leaders it sees as compatible with its ideology and diplomatic priorities.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, traveled in mid-February to Budapest, where he wished his Hungarian ally "success."
"I can say to you with confidence that President Trump is deeply committed to your success, because your success is our success," Rubio said during a joint press conference with Orban after their meeting.
Orban is particularly aligned with the Trump administration on anti-migrant policies, which came to the fore in Hungary during the refugee crisis 10 years ago. He has visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida several times.
Vance's wife, Usha Vance, is joining him on the trip.
Y.Nakamura--AMWN