During a visit to Budapest, US vice president JD Vance said that he wanted to send a “strong signal to Brussels” ahead of Sunday’s Hungarian elections. He accused the European Union of interference and disinformation on Tuesday during a joint press conference with Hungarian prime mininster Viktor Orbán .
Vance travelled to Hungary to show support for Orbán in the run-up to the parliamentary vote. Speaking at a press conference alongside Orbán, he said his visit aimed to “send a signal to everyone, and especially the bureaucrats in Brussels, who have done everything to pressure the Hungarian people because they hate the leader who actually stood up for the Hungarian people”.
He also denounced what he called “truly scandalous” interference by the European Union, though he did not provide specific examples or evidence. “I am not going to tell the people in Hungary who to vote for, and I encourage the bureaucrats in Brussels to do exactly the same,” he said. He added that Hungarians “should not look at who is for or against Europe or for or against the US, but rather at who is for or against the Hungarian people.” “And I see a man who is committed heart and soul to Hungarian interests,” he said of Orbán.
Vance also insinuated that Ukrainian intelligence services are trying to influence the Hungarian elections, a discourse that Orbán himself also propagates. "We are certainly aware that there are elements within the Ukrainian intelligence services trying to manipulate matters," he said, again without providing evidence. Vance also called it a "big mistake" by the European Union to ban gas and oil from "the East" (referring to Russia) since the war in Ukraine, and added that the EU should have followed the example of Viktor Orban's "policy." He also accused the EU of wanting to "destroy the Hungarian economy and trying to make Hungary less energy-independent."
Hungary's energy supply is a major theme in the Hungarian election campaign, now that Orban is blocking the 90 billion European loan for Ukraine until Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline again. According to Ukraine, the pipeline was damaged in a Russian attack, and according to Hungary (and Slovakia), Kyiv is deliberately dragging its feet on the repairs.
Orbán, one of the few EU leaders to maintain close ties with the administration of Donald Trump and a frequent critic of EU policy, is facing a strong challenge from the more pro-EU Péter Magyar, according to recent polls. In February, US secretary of state Marco Rubio also visited Hungary to express support for Orbán, while Trump has described the prime minister as a “truly strong and powerful leader”.
On Wednesday, Magyar himself warned against foreign interference in the elections. "This is our country. Hungarian history must not be written by Washington, Moscow, or Brussels," he stated on X. Following Vance's statement that the US is prepared to cooperate with the winner of the elections, whoever that may be, he wrote that a government led by his Tisza party "will view the US as an important partner, both as a NATO ally and as an economic partner."
Hungary’s parliamentary elections will determine the composition of the National Assembly and, in practice, who forms the next government. The outcome is closely watched across the EU, as Hungary under Orbán has frequently clashed with Brussels over issues such as the rule of law, media freedom and migration policy.
A victory for Orbán would likely reinforce Hungary’s current course, including its more confrontational stance towards EU institutions and its emphasis on national sovereignty. A win for the opposition, led by Magyar, could signal a shift towards closer alignment with EU policies and institutions.
\u200bUS vice president JD Vance and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban give a joint press conference in Budapest, Hungary, April 7, 2026. © PHOTO JONATHAN ERNST / POOL / AFP
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