Rubio meets Orbán in Budapest as US and Hungary are to sign a civilian
nuclear pact
[February 16, 2026]
By MATTHEW LEE and JUSTIN SPIKE
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in the
Hungarian capital on Monday for meetings with Prime Minister Viktor
Orbán and his government during which they plan to sign a civilian
nuclear cooperation agreement heralded by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump has been outspoken in his support for the nationalist Orbán in the
Hungarian leader's bid for reelection in two months. Orbán and his
Fidesz party are facing their most serious challenge in the April 12
vote since he retook power in 2010.
The stop in Hungary's capital follows Rubio's visit to Slovakia on
Sunday, after he previously attended the Munich Security Conference in
Germany.
Led by euroskeptic populists who oppose support for Ukraine and vocally
back Trump, Slovakia and Hungary represent friendly territory for Rubio
as he pushes to shore up energy agreements with both Central European
countries.
Widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most reliable
advocate in the European Union, Orbán has maintained warm relations with
the Kremlin despite its war against Ukraine while currying favor with
Trump and his MAGA — short for the 2016 Trump campaign slogan “Make
America Great Again” — movement.
Many in MAGA and the broader conservative world view Hungary as a
shining example of successful conservative nationalism, despite the
erosion of its democratic institutions and its status as one of the EU's
poorest countries.
In a post on his Truth Social site earlier this month, Trump endorsed
Orbán for the coming elections and called him a “truly strong and
powerful Leader” and "a true friend, fighter, and WINNER.”
Trump has praised Orbán’s firm opposition to immigration, exemplified by
a fence his government erected on Hungary’s southern border in 2015 as
hundreds of thousands of refugees fled Syria and other countries in the
Middle East and Africa.
Other U.S. conservatives admire Orbán’s hostility to LGBTQ+ rights. His
government last year banned the popular Budapest Pride celebration and
allowed facial recognition technology to be used to identify anyone
participating despite the ban. It has also effectively banned same-sex
adoption and same-sex marriage, and disallowed transgender individuals
from changing their sex in official documents.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to Hungary's Deputy
Foreign Minister Levente Magyar, left, upon landing at the Liszt
Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Feb. 15,
2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
Orbán has remained firmly committed to purchasing Russian energy
despite efforts by the EU to wean off such supplies, and received an
exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian energy after a November
meeting in the White House with Trump.
Apparently trusting that his political and personal affinity with
the U.S. leader could pay even greater dividends, Orbán and his
government have sought to woo Trump to Hungary before the pivotal
April 12 elections — hoping such a high-profile visit and
endorsement would push Orbán, who is trailing in most polls, over
the finish line.
Budapest has hosted several annual iterations of the Conservative
Political Action Conference, or CPAC, and another was hastily
rescheduled this year to fall in March, just before Hungary's
elections.
Details of the civilian nuclear deal were not known ahead of
Monday's signing in Budapest.
During his White House visit in November, Orbán had agreed to
U.S.-Hungary cooperation in the civil nuclear industry, including
the purchase of compact nuclear reactors — known as small modular
reactors or SMRs — and spent fuel storage.
Hungary signaled it was ready to support construction of up to 10
SMRs with a potential value of up to $20 billion. Orbán also said
Hungary would enter a nuclear fuel deal with U.S.-based Westinghouse
to supply nuclear fuel for Hungary’s Russian-built Paks I nuclear
plant.
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