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The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, one of the few Europeans claimed admirers of the US President is received this Monday, May 13 by Donald Trump at the White House. A tete-a-tete between two critics of the EU, two weeks before the European elections.
Viktor Orban, very happy, was one of the first leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on his election, he who had just been through stormy years with the Obama administration, a team that reproached him pell-mell infringements of freedom press, justice and civil society.
This Monday, the strong man of Budapest will have a face to face with a president whom he had described as an icon for the sovereignist movement, not less. The two men share an ideological proximity: statements against immigration, exaltation of borders. They have a common pet peeve too: Georges Soros, the American billionaire and philanthropist of Hungarian origin.
Common values, but not always shared economic interests. When Washington is in commercial conflict with Beijing, Viktor Orban, he, hopes a lot of China. No way to demonize his economic power, the Hungarian Prime Minister would like to take advantage of the central location of his country and reap the benefits of the "new silk roads".
► See also: USA-EU: Mike Pompeo begins a European tour through Hungary
Realpolitik and commercial interests
The ideological proximity between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban has allowed a warming of relations between Washington and Budapest. Relationships that have not always been good.
With our correspondent in Budapest, Florence La Bruyère
President Barack Obama regularly criticized Viktor Orban for his attacks on freedom of the press and human rights. That time is over. With Donald Trump, there is less talk of human rights than Realpolitik and commercial interests.
Even if there were clashes under his presidency as the case of arms dealers arrested in Budapest. The two men, Russian citizens, were wanted by the Americans because they supplied the Mexican drug traffickers. The Orban government had committed to deliver them to the United States, but last year it preferred to extradite them to Russia. Hence the irritation of Washington.
While visiting Budapest last February, the US Secretary of State reminded Viktor Orban to order. " We can not let Putin create divisions with friends, " said Mike Pompeo who suggested that to be friends, and to be invited to the White House, you had to do business together.
Message received. Hungary is on the verge of signing a billion-dollar deal to buy US military equipment, including an air defense system.
Meanwhile, according to David Cornstein, the US ambassador to Budapest, the Hungarian government has reduced Russian gas imports and is negotiating a gas purchase agreement with the US exporter ExxonMobil, which operates offshore oil fields in Romania.
Another topic that will be on the table between Donald and Viktor Orban: the recent agreement signed between Budapest and the Chinese operator Huawei who will develop the 5G network in Hungary. The Chinese giant is suspected of espionage by US authorities.
► To listen and read also: In Hungary, a curious Russian bank settles in Budapest