“No, I didn’t promise him, but he certainly asked for it,” the U.S. president said about a mooted financial lifeline for Budapest.
Of course he does not pay. Why should he? Orban is a pariah in the EU. From Trumps perspective there is nothing to win by giving him money. Paying right-wing extremist parties in Poland, Germany, France and Austria on the other hand can topple democracies and in the end the EU.
On the other hand, maintaining the current regime in Hungary is sufficient disruption to the EU, as Orban may use his veto powers yet again to strike down any major policy change in the EU that goes against both US and Russian interests, as they have done in the past. If the US backs Orban and convinces Hungarians to accept more of his leadership - on the grounds that a lifeline from the US for their country’s finances is dependent on Orban’s victory in the next elections (much like what they did for Milei in Argentina) -, then Hungary has no reason to cooperate with the rest of the EU, especially on matters of foreign policy, because they can get their funding elsewhere other than the frozen EU funds. 20B€ might be significant enough to assuage Hungary, but isn’t that much of a bill for the US and this administration’s gaggle of billionaire buddies to foot.
