February 16, 2026
Rubio endorses Orbán ahead of Hungary's April elections, pledges U.S. financial aid
Rubio tells Orbán 'your success is our success' weeks before crucial vote
🌍Foreign Policy🏛️Government
On Feb. 16, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest and told him that "President Trump is deeply committed to your success" and that Washington's national interest depends on Hungary thriving "as long as you're prime minister." Rubio explicitly pledged that if Hungary faced financial difficulties under Orbán, the Trump administration would provide economic assistance—an extraordinary intervention in another country's domestic politics.
The endorsement came just 57 days before Hungary's April 12, 2026 parliamentary elections, where Orbán faces his toughest challenge in 16 years. Recent polls from Medián show Orbán's Fidesz party trailing opposition leader Péter Magyar's Tisza party by 10-12 percentage points among committed voters. Magyar's party won nearly 30% of votes in the 2024 European Parliament elections and has maintained a consistent lead for over a year.
Rubio's visit directly followed the Munich Security Conference, where he had just spent the weekend attempting to reassure traditional European allies like Germany and France about U.S. commitments to NATO. Instead of meeting with democratic leaders afterward, Rubio chose to visit Slovakia's Robert Fico and Hungary's Orbán—both populist leaders who oppose aid to Ukraine and maintain close ties to Russia. The sequence sent a clear message about the Trump administration's priorities in Europe.
During the visit, Rubio and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that includes the possible purchase of small modular reactors from U.S. companies. The agreement was presented as evidence of deepening economic ties between the two countries. Orbán also announced that Trump holds an "open invitation" to visit Budapest before the elections and that Hungary stands ready to host a trilateral peace summit between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine.
Orbán has led Hungary since 2010 and has been labeled by the European Parliament as running a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy." His government has eroded democratic institutions, packed courts with loyalists, taken control of most media outlets, rewritten the Constitution to entrench Fidesz power, and drawn electoral districts to favor his party. Freedom House has downgraded Hungary from "free" to "partly free," and the European Commission has frozen billions in EU funds over rule-of-law concerns.
The Trump administration previously granted Hungary an exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian energy after Orbán visited the White House in November 2025. Orbán is widely considered Vladimir Putin's closest ally among EU leaders and has maintained warm relations with the Kremlin despite Russia's war against Ukraine. Hungary has blocked EU efforts to provide military and financial aid to Kyiv and threatened to veto Ukraine's EU membership. Rubio would not specify how long the Russian energy exemption would last.
Péter Magyar is a 44-year-old former Fidesz insider who was married to Orbán's former Justice Minister Judit Varga. He broke with Fidesz in early 2024 over a child sex abuse pardon scandal and founded the Tisza party, running on an anti-corruption platform. Magyar launched his campaign on Feb. 15, 2026—one day before Rubio's visit—promising to "pull Hungary back toward the West," restore relations with the EU, and unlock billions in frozen EU funds. His movement has united socialists, greens, liberals, conservatives, and social democrats behind a single opposition candidate for the first time since 2010.
🌍Foreign Policy🏛️Government
People, bills, and sources
Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State
Viktor Orbán
Prime Minister of Hungary since 2010
Donald Trump
President of the United States
Péter Magyar
Leader of Tisza party, opposition candidate for Prime Minister
Robert Fico
Prime Minister of Slovakia
Péter Szijjártó
Hungarian Foreign Minister
What you can do
1
civic action
Contact your U.S. Senator on the Foreign Relations Committee to demand oversight of election interference
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has jurisdiction over the State Department and can hold hearings on whether Rubio's endorsement violates diplomatic norms against interfering in allied democracies. Senators can also investigate whether the nuclear cooperation agreement was expedited for political reasons.
My name is [name] and I'm a constituent calling about Secretary Rubio's endorsement of Viktor Orbán 57 days before Hungary's elections. The U.S. shouldn't interfere in allied democracies by pledging financial support to incumbent leaders during contested elections. I'm asking the committee to hold oversight hearings on whether this violates State Department guidelines, whether the nuclear agreement was expedited for political purposes, and whether taxpayer funds are being promised to support autocratic governments. What is Senator [name]'s position on this interference?
2
civic action
Support organizations defending democracy in Hungary
Hungarian civil society organizations are fighting to preserve democratic institutions ahead of the April 12 elections. International support helps them monitor election integrity, document media manipulation, and provide legal assistance to voters. Donations to established democracy organizations can make a difference.
I want to support Hungarian democracy organizations ahead of the April 12 elections. Viktor Orbán has controlled most media, packed the courts, and redrawn electoral districts to favor Fidesz. Now the U.S. government is interfering by endorsing him and pledging financial aid. How can I help Hungarian civil society monitor the elections and defend democratic institutions?
3
civic action
Monitor and report on U.S. diplomatic visits that interfere in allied elections
The State Department maintains diplomatic protocols about election interference, but these norms rely on public accountability. Citizens can file Freedom of Information Act requests for communications between the State Department and Orbán's government leading up to Rubio's visit.
I'm submitting a FOIA request for all communications between the State Department and the Hungarian government from Feb. 1-16, 2026, including emails, cables, and talking points related to Secretary Rubio's Budapest visit. I'm requesting documents showing whether the endorsement of Orbán and pledge of financial assistance were planned in advance or coordinated with the White House. I'm also requesting the decision memo for the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement and any analysis of election timing.