Most Friday mornings, Hungary’s Prime Minister gives an interview on one of the public radio stations. Since the independent media has not had a chance to interview him for several years, these weekly radio interviews provide a rare opportunity for finding out what the leader of the country thinks about current events, how he sees his opponents and any issues at hand.
According to Viktor Orbán, it is still unclear whether US President Donald Trump will visit Hungary before the April elections. While speaking on public radio on Friday morning, the Prime Minister explained that since Trump comes from the business world, his strategy is to always be unpredictable.
"We'll see. If you're wondering whether he'll come, it's impossible to know. An important part of the US president's political strategy – given that he comes from the business world – is that no one can know anything for sure in advance. He'll come when he decides," Orbán said in response to Trump's social media post on Thursday, assuring him of his support ahead of the parliamentary elections.
In his post, Trump called Orbán a "truly strong and powerful leader" who, in his opinion, works hard for Hungary. However, he made no mention of any plans to visit Hungary in the near future.
Orbán also elaborated on the essence of foreign policy being to make friends, and added that he believes that Hungary is currently the only true US ally in Europe. “The reason we have been successful in America, is that there is a major international issue on which we agree and where they need us. And that is the war going on in Europe.”
According to Orbán, Hungary is the only country in Europe that has consistently maintained since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine that:
- “If Donald Trump had been president of the United States in 2022, there would be no war.”
- “If Europeans weren't constantly undermining and obstructing the American president, peace would have been restored long ago.”
- "Trump is the only international leader who is not giving up, who keeps coming up with new ideas and who wants peace. And he needs European allies to achieve this".
"We are not the biggest country in Europe, but we are the only ally of the United States when it comes to the cause of peace, and we can be proud of that," Orbán said.
Viktor Orbán avoids critical questions at home. It’s been years since he gave an interview to independent media. However, for several years, most Friday mornings he has been a regular guest on state-owned Kossuth Rádió, where he is interviewed by a lead editor of the public broadcasting service (operating from an annual budget of 320 million euros), who doesn’t shy away from asking questions.