There are big expectations for an upcoming Trump-Orbán meeting tomorrow in Washington, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expected to walk away with some major economic and trade investments and agreements.
With upcoming national elections in April, Orbán is looking to cement his relationship with Trump and walk away with agreements that can translate into real economic benefits for Hungarians.
Orbán notes that under the previous Biden administration, “there were sanctions, political sanctions, that Biden introduced against Hungary. These have been eliminated in the past six months.”
“Politically based sanctions have disappeared, American support for NGOs attacking Hungary has ceased, and we can travel to the United States visa-free again,” the prime minister stated.
“The next step is to establish strategic-economic cooperation with the Trump administration. In order to achieve this second goal, we have put together a large American-Hungarian economic cooperation package,” said Orbán. “Our goal is to develop a strategic partnership that includes energy relations, investments, defense cooperation, and negotiations on the post-Russian-Ukrainian world.”
Orban turns to the US
There is little surprise that Orbán is turning to a friendly Trump administration at a time when the EU is applying extreme pressure to Budapest, including withholding at least €10 billion in frozen EU funds. Brussels is looking to unseat Orbán from power in the upcoming national elections in Hungary in April, and is hoping to turn the screws on Hungarians on the economic front.
Orbán may score some valuable economic deals on his trip to Washington, but the question is whether these deals can provide the immediate economic stimulus that can benefit the bottom line of Hungarians before the upcoming national election.
Hungarian media is outlining how important the meeting is for the Orbán-Trump alliance. Hirado ran a piece entitled, “Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump’s meeting on Friday will crown a nearly 10-year alliance and friendship.”
This will be the sixth personal meeting between the two. Orbán met with Trump at the White House during his first administration and another four times when he was no longer POTUS, including just after the election in 2024.
Among the topics being discussed will be the double-taxation agreement between Hungary and the U.S., which could be reinstated.
“In addition to energy and defense industry issues, (they) may also discuss the restoration of the US-Hungarian double taxation avoidance agreement,” reads Hirado.
In addition, energy, military spending, and technology investments will also be discussed between the two leaders.
