Vice President Vance visits Hungary to boost Orban ahead of pivotal election

U.S. Vice President JD Vance will travel to Hungary on Tuesday on a mission to boost the electoral campaign of the country's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces the toughest re-election bid of his political career.



During the two-day visit, coming just days before the April 12 parliamentary elections, Vance will meet with Orban and attend a campaign rally with him, according to Hungarian government sources.



"I'm looking forward to seeing my good friend Viktor, and we'll talk about any number of things related to the US-Hungary relationship," Vance told reporters before departing Washington, adding relations with Europe and Ukraine will be discussed.



The rare in-person gesture of support for Orban by a senior U.S. official is the latest example of President Donald Trump's efforts to prop up like-minded right-wing leaders, including in Argentina and Japan.



Opinion polls show Orban, who Trump has already publicly endorsed and praised as "a truly strong and powerful leader," and his Fidesz party face the most challenging election since returning to power in 2010. In most independent surveys, they trail the center-right Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar.