Rubio meets Orbán in Budapest as US, Hungary are to signal nuclear pact

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By MATTHEW LEE and JUSTIN SPIKE

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was within the Hungarian capital on Monday for conferences with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his authorities throughout which they plan to signal a civilian nuclear cooperation settlement heralded by President Donald Trump.

Trump has been outspoken in his help for the nationalist Orbán within the Hungarian chief’s bid for reelection in two months. Orbán and his Fidesz occasion are dealing with their most severe problem within the April 12 vote since he retook energy in 2010.

The cease in Hungary’s capital follows Rubio’s go to to Slovakia on Sunday, after he beforehand attended the Munich Safety Convention in Germany.

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, silhouetted towards the setting solar, arrives on the Liszt Ferenc Worldwide Airport in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photograph/Alex Brandon, Pool)

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Led by euroskeptic populists who oppose help for Ukraine and vocally again Trump, Slovakia and Hungary characterize pleasant territory for Rubio as he pushes to shore up power agreements with each Central European international locations.

Extensively thought of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most dependable advocate within the European Union, Orbán has maintained heat relations with the Kremlin regardless of its struggle towards Ukraine whereas currying favor with Trump and his MAGA — quick for the 2016 Trump marketing campaign slogan “Make America Nice Once more” — motion.

Many in MAGA and the broader conservative world view Hungary as a shining instance of profitable conservative nationalism, regardless of the erosion of its democratic establishments and its standing as one of many EU’s poorest international locations.

In a publish on his Reality Social web site earlier this month, Trump endorsed Orbán for the approaching elections and known as him a “really sturdy and highly effective Chief” and “a real buddy, fighter, and WINNER.”

Trump has praised Orbán’s agency opposition to immigration, exemplified by a fence his authorities erected on Hungary’s southern border in 2015 as a whole bunch of hundreds of refugees fled Syria and different international locations within the Center East and Africa.

Different U.S. conservatives admire Orbán’s hostility to LGBTQ+ rights. His authorities final 12 months banned the favored Budapest Satisfaction celebration and allowed facial recognition know-how for use to establish anybody taking part regardless of the ban. It has additionally successfully banned same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage, and disallowed transgender people from altering their intercourse in official paperwork.

Orbán has remained firmly dedicated to buying Russian power regardless of efforts by the EU to wean off such provides, and acquired an exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian power after a November assembly within the White Home with Trump.

Apparently trusting that his political and private affinity with the U.S. chief might pay even better dividends, Orbán and his authorities have sought to woo Trump to Hungary earlier than the pivotal April 12 elections — hoping such a high-profile go to and endorsement would push Orbán, who’s trailing in most polls, over the end line.

Budapest has hosted a number of annual iterations of the Conservative Political Motion Convention, or CPAC, and one other was rapidly rescheduled this 12 months to fall in March, simply earlier than Hungary’s elections.

Particulars of the civilian nuclear deal weren’t identified forward of Monday’s signing in Budapest.

Throughout his White Home go to in November, Orbán had agreed to U.S.-Hungary cooperation within the civil nuclear trade, together with the acquisition of compact nuclear reactors — referred to as small modular reactors or SMRs — and spent gas storage.

Hungary signaled it was able to help development of as much as 10 SMRs with a possible worth of as much as $20 billion. Orbán additionally stated Hungary would enter a nuclear gas cope with U.S.-based Westinghouse to produce nuclear gas for Hungary’s Russian-built Paks I nuclear plant.