US Vice President JD Vance welcomed a sudden temporary ceasefire in Iran but spent the second day of a visit to Hungary concentrating on the war in Ukraine and its implications for Budapest. His trip came days before Prime Minister Viktor Orbán seeks a sixth term, and Vance echoed several themes from Orbán’s campaign while touring the country.
Vance said the Trump administration had made “significant progress” toward brokering a halt to Russia’s invasion and toward an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, while acknowledging the conflict has been “the hardest war to solve.” He said that, despite hopes it might be easier, the war has defied expectations and that an end might be possible because “fundamentally this war has stopped making sense,” but added that a settlement requires both sides to agree, questioning whether fighting over small amounts of territory justifies the continued human and economic cost.
He criticized many European leaders for not seeming especially interested in resolving the conflict, and singled out Orbán — who has kept closer ties with Moscow than most NATO leaders — as particularly helpful to US diplomatic efforts. “The most helpful has been Viktor,” Vance said, crediting Orbán with encouraging U.S. diplomats to understand the perspectives of both Ukrainians and Russians on what would be necessary to end the war.
Orbán has centered criticism of the EU and Kyiv in his campaign, even as his domestic standing is complicated by corruption allegations and a long-running child sex abuse scandal in state institutions. His main challenger, Peter Magyar, a one-time nationalist ally who broke away, has focused on domestic concerns and has not promised sweeping changes in foreign policy.
Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine have risen recently amid disruptions to Russian oil deliveries through a pipeline that crosses Ukraine. Kyiv says Russian bombardment damaged the pipeline; Budapest has expressed skepticism and secured an exemption to EU sanctions on Russian oil because of its heavy dependence. Orbán is also blocking a major EU loan package for Ukraine that was originally agreed in December, citing energy worries — an issue Vance raised during his visit.
Vance called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s response to Orbán’s obstruction “scandalous” after Zelenskyy suggested he might give the military Orbán’s address. Around Easter, Serbia and Hungary reported explosives found near the Balkan Stream gas pipeline; Ukraine denied involvement in that incident.
Before campaigning with Orbán, Vance accused the EU of “disgraceful” election meddling in Hungary and described it as one of the worst examples of foreign interference he had seen. At a later rally he urged supporters, “we have got to get Viktor Orbán re-elected.”
The Kremlin, through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, echoed Vance’s comments, suggesting some forces in Europe would prefer Orbán not win and that actions against him played into those forces’ hands. German officials rejected Vance’s interference claims and said his presence in Hungary illustrated who was intervening in Hungarian politics.
Most polls show Orbán trailing Peter Magyar’s Tisza in what appears to be his toughest election in years, though government-aligned institutes sometimes place Fidesz ahead. Orbán, 62, first served as prime minister from 1998–2002, led the opposition for two terms, and returned to office in 2010, a role he has held since.