What to make of Rubio's show of support for Orbán?
After his appearance at the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio paid visits to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Orbán spoke of a "golden age" in Hungarian-American relations, and Rubio assured him of the US government's support in the upcoming election, saying: "Your success is also our success."
Hungary fits perfectly into US plans
The Süddeutsche Zeitung lists several reasons why Orbán is of interest to Trump:
“The prime minister is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the US is trying to pull him further into the Western camp. The other reason is business: the US wants to sell gas to Hungary. So far Hungary has been heavily dependent on energy supplies from Russia, which is why Trump actually imposed sanctions on Hungary last year – before lifting them again as a favour to Orbán. Overall, Hungary fits perfectly into the US's strategic plans: in Orbán, Trump has a friendly culture warrior who is increasing his influence in the West and may soon start buying American energy. Ideology, power and money: that's how things work in the world Trump envisages.”
A helping hand from Washington
Cotidianul observes:
“More revealing than Rubio's speech at the Munich Security Conference was what he did afterwards. The head of US diplomacy travelled to Bratislava and Budapest to show support for these friendly governments. In the parliamentary elections on 12 April, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is facing the biggest challenge since his return to power in 2010. His Fidesz party is lagging behind the opposition Tisza party in independent polls. But Rubio has now offered him a helping hand. Last year, after Viktor Orbán's visit to the White House, Hungary was granted an exemption from US sanctions on imports of Russian oil and gas.”
Budapest and Bratislava have clout
The pro-government Magyar Nemzet points to unique circumstances:
“It is also important for Washington to have European allies with whom it can communicate easily in a world order that is constantly changing. ... It's hardly a coincidence that after his visit to Munich, where he addressed the whole of Europe, Rubio visited not only our country but also Slovakia, which has also adopted a sovereigntist stance. ... This week, the inaugural meeting of the international Board of Peace is taking place in Washington, hosted by Donald Trump and co-founded by Viktor Orbán. And when Trump visits Budapest soon it will be particularly significant because for the first time this will be based on an alliance that has developed into a personal political friendship.”