Trump may visit Hungary ahead of key parliamentary elections

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Donald Trump would be pleased to visit Hungary, raising the prospect of a high-profile trip ahead of the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections.

Rubio made the remarks during a joint press conference in Budapest with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Index reports.

While no specific date has been set for a potential visit, Orbán noted that political developments are moving too swiftly to allow for long-term planning. Nevertheless, he stressed that a visit by the US president cannot be ruled out and that the near future will determine whether it takes place.

During the same press conference, Orbán accused Ukraine of interfering in Hungary’s electoral process and financing opponents of his Fidesz party.

The prime minister said that the President of Ukraine and the Ukrainian state itself would be active participants in the elections and that they would have to be defeated as well.

He further alleged that “the Ukrainians are participating in the campaign with full force and weaponry,” claiming that his political rivals are receiving support from Ukraine.

Orbán is scheduled to visit Washington on February 19 to attend a Board of Peace meeting. A potential visit by Trump ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections on April 12 could provide the Hungarian leader with a significant electoral boost.

At the press conference, Prime Minister Orbán repeated that Donald Trump has an open invitation to visit Hungary before the elections, but the visit has not been confirmed.

"The less we know anything certain about something, the more possible it might happen," Orbán said about the chances of a Trump visit in the coming weeks ahead of the elections.

By Vafa Guliyeva