US President Donald Trump points to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.Image: keystone
More time than money
Dec 9, 2025, 8:51 p.mDec 9, 2025, 8:51 p.m
According to his own statements, US President Donald Trump has not yet promised Hungary any financial resources of up to 20 billion US dollars (almost 17.2 billion euros). “No, I didn’t promise him that, but he certainly asked for it,” he said in an interview with the news portal Politico.
«This is how I plan the future. Good morning, Brussels!”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
In mid-November, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told his delegation after a visit to the White House that his country could now “count on an American financial shield” in the event of a “speculative or political attack” from abroad, as Hungarian media close to the government reported at the time. He added: “This is how I plan the future. Good morning, Brussels!” – alluding to the large sums that the EU does not pay out to Hungary due to constitutional deficiencies.
No upper limit
Days later, in an interview with the Hungarian TV station ATV, Orban also mentioned the sums he hoped to receive from the USA. When asked by the reporter whether there was a cap on this amount, Orban said: “There is no (cap), but it doesn’t take much imagination to figure it out, and the amount we need for stability is 10-20 billion dollars or euros, which is not a significant amount from the American perspective.”
“I was at the meeting between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban, where no agreement was actually reached for $20 billion, as no one claimed.”
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto
In the “Politico” interview, Trump sought understanding for Hungary’s situation: The country has no access to the sea, so ships importing energy cannot land. Trump had previously allowed the EU state to import energy from Russia for another year – despite US sanctions that actually came into force because of the war in Ukraine.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto denied that Orban had announced such an agreement with the USA: “I was at the meeting between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban, where no agreement for $20 billion was actually reached, as no one claimed,” the minister wrote on Facebook. Only talks about “a new type of financial cooperation” were agreed upon, which could offer financial protection for Hungary. (sda/dpa)