U.S. secretary and Hungary’s prime minister hail a "golden era" as energy deals, investments and sanctions waivers deepen ties

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and U.S. Secretary of State Michael Rubio used a joint Budapest press conference to frame bilateral ties as unusually close, highlighting new energy deals, U.S. investments and restored visa-free travel for Hungarians.

Orbán opened by thanking "the United States President" and said, "Hungarians can once again travel to the U.S. without a visa," framing recent developments as evidence of an improved relationship. He also said Hungary had been invited to a "Peace Council" whose first meeting would take place in Washington, D.C., and described newly signed agreements in oil, gas and nuclear energy as "of key importance."

Rubio called the relationship a "golden age," pointed to 17 U.S. investments decided since last January and credited close personal ties between the two leaders with enabling tougher diplomatic choices, including temporary suspensions of sanctions that eased energy cooperation. "Those sanctions waivers happened as much as anything else because of the relationship between the prime minister and the president," he said.

Reporters pressed both officials on the waiver's scope and duration. A questioner asked whether the United States was conditioning deeper cooperation on Hungary reducing ties with China and whether sanctions waivers were indefinite or time-limited. Rubio repeatedly framed cooperation as driven by national interest and balance, saying the U.S. pursues engagement when it serves American interests; he did not provide a definitive public timeline for the waivers in response to the question. The press also raised whether the U.S. would work constructively with a challenger if Orbán were to lose Hungary's upcoming election; Rubio said what happens politically in Hungary is a matter for Hungarian voters.

Orbán repeated a contentious assessment that the current U.S. president had done most to try to secure peace in the region and made a counterfactual claim that the Russian–Ukrainian war "would never have broken out" if that president had been in office at the time. Rubio emphasized the U.S. interest in ending wars via diplomacy and said American officials have been able to convene talks between technical and military representatives from opposing sides.

The officials also discussed regional economic projects, including a Serbian refinery Orbán said could be acquired and used to bolster regional energy supplies. Both leaders framed closer ties as intended to boost Hungary's economic competitiveness and energy security.

The conference produced no formal changes to sanctions policy on the record and no legally binding agreement announced at the podium. Both leaders described ongoing diplomatic work and investment flows as the foundation for deeper cooperation; reporters left several substantive questions — notably the precise legal duration of any sanctions waivers — unanswered by on-the-record statements.

The press conference concluded after an extended Q&A in which Hungarian and international reporters pressed both leaders on China ties, sanctions waivers, investment, and an invitation for a potential presidential visit to Budapest.