Serious interference by foreign intelligence services in the Hungarian election is now "clearly visible from across the Atlantic, as noted by US Vice President JD Vance" during his current visit to Budapest, Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Wednesday.

Speaking in the Truth Hour podcast, Szijjarto said "perhaps there has never been such open, crude and serious interference in a Hungarian parliamentary election as the Brussels-Berlin-Kyiv axis has created".

"Obviously, the bureaucrats in Brussels cannot bear the fact that Hungary is thwarting their unbridled war, migration and gender policies. In Berlin, they have a hard time bearing the fact that a central European country says 'no' to the leading European power. In Kyiv, they obviously want Europe to go to war, receive the money of the European people, and join the European Union", he said.

"Since Hungary represents the opposite position in all of this, the outcome of the Hungarian election will obviously be crucial for Brussels, Berlin and Kyiv," he said.

"That's why the clash between us is so very harsh. So it's visible from afar that this very harsh foreign secret service intervention is taking place, which is sometimes expressed in an oil blockade, sometimes in an attempt at a complete energy blockade, sometimes in wiretapping, sometimes in death threats, sometimes in the smuggling of black money through Hungary. And this obviously caught everyone's attention; the American vice president also spoke about it here in Budapest," he added.

Concerning Vance's visit, Szijjarto said: "The timing and the length of time that has passed since the last similar visit clearly show the US government's stance concerning our prime minister. It clearly shows the very strong personal friendship based on loyalty that exists between the US president and the Hungarian prime minister."

This friendship laid the foundation "for a new golden age" that Hungarian-US relations entered a year and a half ago. He said last year had been a "record year" for the economy, with record trade turnover of ten billion dollars.

"Never before have so many investments arrived in Hungary in a single year... And the momentum still holds, trade has grown by a little more than 50 percent this year, and in March alone we announced six American investments worth about 100 billion forints."

Szijjarto also mentioned that political sanctions have been lifted in Washington, the Paks 2 project is under way, Hungary has been reintegrated into the ESTA system, and Trump also agreed that Hungary country could continue to buy cheap Russian energy sources.

The minister touched on a remark by Vance, which many in the opposition picked up on, that the US would work with whoever won the election. Szijjarto said picking a short remark from a ten-minute address showed "total disrespect" and "that was not what the press conference was about".

"I think it was correct that the American vice president said that they respect the Hungarian people, so they will work with anyone according to the will of the Hungarian people. He then added that he was certain that Fidesz would win the election. And he said this after he spent long minutes describing the high level of current Hungarian-American cooperation, describing how much they support the prime minister, describing the friendship between them, and that the Hungarian prime minister has been the greatest help to the United States in the cause of peace," he added.

Vance: 'Faceless Brussels bureaucrats in faraway countries telling Hungarians how to live'

"Faceless Brussels bureaucrats in faraway countries are telling you how to live, how to pray, how to speak, and how to govern yourselves," US Vice President JD Vance said in his speech at the Hungarian-American Friendship 2026 event in Budapest on Tuesday, urging Hungarians to resist them.

Before Vance commenced his speech, he relayed a phone message by US President Donald Trump: "I love Hungary and that [Prime Minister] Viktor [Orban]." At the event held in the MTK Sports Hall, Trump said Orban was "a fantastic man" and they have a "tremendous relationship".

"Remember this: he didn't allow people to storm your country and invade your country like other people have," he said.

"He's kept your country good. He's kept Hungarian people in your country, and he's done a fantastic job," he added.

Referring to the crowd gathered at the stadium, Trump said: "That sounds like a big crowd and that sounds like my kind of people."

"I am a big fan of Viktor. I am with him all the way; the United States is with him all the way," he said.

Speaking about Orban, Trump said he "kept your country strong and he kept your country good". He added that "you don't have problems, with all of the problems that so many countries have because they let their countries be invaded."

After the phone call, Vance joked that it would be hard to follow that act. "We have got to get Viktor Orban re-elected as prime minister of Hungary, don't we?"

Vance said US-Hungary relations "have reached new heights". "An exciting era of new ties on everything ranging from energy security to business and trade cooperation to closer cultural bonds," he said.

Addressing the Hungarian people, he declared that he had come to Hungary "because I admire what you are fighting for. You're fighting for your freedom. You're fighting for your sovereignty. And I'm here because President Trump and I wish for your success, and we are fighting right here... We want no more and we ask no more than to be allies against those who seek to push Hungary down."

"In 2016, when the rest of Europe threw open its gates, you said no," Vance declared. "When strange activists came to tell you to erase your heritage, you said no. And when a war erupted in your neighbourhood, you were kind and generous. You opened your neighbourhoods, your homes, and your hospitals. But you never forgot the needs of your own people, and why, to Hungarians, Hungarians must always come first."

Speaking about the Hungarian elections, Vance emphasised that the outcome must be decided without outside interference. 

"I’m not telling you exactly who to vote for, but what I am telling you is that the bureaucrats in Brussels -- those people should not be listened to. Listen to your hearts, listen to your souls, and listen to the sovereignty of the Hungarian people," he said. "Unlike some of the leadership of Brussels, I'm not threatening you or telling you that we're going to withhold funds to which you're legally entitled. You will make the decision about Hungary's future, just as my fellow Americans will make the decision about America's future," he added.

Vance addressed the far-left ideology gaining ground in university circles, the media, the entertainment industry, and increasingly among bureaucrats on both sides of the Atlantic.

 "Its followers don't see Western society as flawed yet worthy of reform. Instead, they view the very foundations of our shared civilisation as illegitimate. In Western history, they don't see a proud tradition. They see only injustice. And in our borders, they see exclusion and racism."

"In Christianity, they see not liberation, but oppression. And in the family, they see constraint," he asserted. 

"Their most radical members, of course, tear down monuments to our national heroes, or throw buckets of fake blood on precious artworks in museums. They stage assassinations of law enforcement officers. They set fire to churches. They declare they're never going to have kids, lest they increase their carbon footprint," he added.

The American vice president said that both the Hungarian and American peoples faced the same internal threats. 

"We defend our borders because we know that it's the most vulnerable among us who suffer when our streets are given over to chaos and violence. Some of them call themselves feminists, pretending they care about women. Yet it is their policies that have seen an explosion of migrant crime and sexual assault against the very women they claim to protect. We believe in energy security because we don't want the least of us to be unable to afford to heat their homes or to drive themselves to work," he said.

"They say they care a lot about corruption, they take it very seriously, but they turn a blind eye to the corruption of Brussels, which has seen bureaucrats become millionaires by threatening and conjoining the sovereignty of the people across this beautiful continent," he added.

MTI Stock Photo

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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