US President Donald Trump has said that he did not promise Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán a financial shield. When asked about the supposed agreement, which the Hungarian government touted at home as a huge success, the US president told Politico:
"No, I didn't promise him, but he certainly asked for it."
Accompanied by several members of his government and even more propagandists, Viktor Orbán traveled to Washington in early November, where Donald Trump gave the delegation a warm welcome. After the meeting, on November 9, the Hungarian Prime Minister announced that America had promised Hungary a financial shield against "speculative attacks."
Later, Minister of Transport and Construction, János Lázár also posted that "in the event of speculative or political attacks, we can count on an American financial shield," and he also talked about the supposed shield in front of our camera. Orbán later clarified that they had concluded a currency swap agreement, a so-called "swap line."
The importance of the financial shield – which apparently does not exist – was explained by the pro-government influencer Dániel Deák, who was also part of the delegation that went to Washington, as follows: "Brussels is still withholding part of the EU funds owed to our country, and with the elections approaching, they are likely going to try to weaken Hungary's economic position and the government's economic room for manoeuvre through financial speculation." In his opinion, this financial "shield of protection" is important because it will ensure that "from now on, Hungary will definitely not have any financial problems."
We have contacted the relevant government agencies with regard to the rebuttal of the Hungarian government's claim and will report back as soon as we receive a response.
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