U.S., Hungary sign civilian nuclear cooperation agreement as Rubio visits Budapest

Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Budapest and joined Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a signing ceremony to formalize an agreement between the governments of the United States and Hungary to facilitate cooperation on Hungary’s civilian nuclear program.

The signing, introduced by the event moderator and attended by Hungarian and U.S. delegations, underscored what both leaders described as a deepening bilateral relationship. Orban called the moment “a new golden age” in Hungary’s ties with the United States, and Rubio said the agreement builds on a November White House meeting and expanding U.S. investment in Hungary.

Orban praised the growth in U.S. investment, saying “since last year January, 17 U.S. investments have been decided upon here in Hungary,” and reiterated that Hungarians can travel to the United States “without a visa.” Rubio framed the visit and the agreement as tangible outcomes of high-level ties, saying the relationship between the two leaders has produced “tangible benefits” and signaled further cooperation on energy and other areas.

Reporters pressed both leaders during a question-and-answer session about a range of geopolitical topics. When asked about criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Hungary has not supported Ukraine’s EU accession, Orban characterized Ukrainian involvement as interference in Hungary’s domestic politics and said Ukraine had entered Hungary’s election campaign and funded opponents. Rubio responded to questions about U.S. efforts to end the war, saying the United States seeks to “get both sides to the table to talk” and described ongoing technical talks and planned meetings in Geneva.

On U.S. conditioning of cooperation over Hungary’s ties with China, Rubio said countries act in their national interest and that the United States maintains relations with China while managing differences. Asked about sanctions waivers related to Russian energy purchases, Rubio attributed those decisions in part to the close personal relationship between the U.S. president and the Hungarian prime minister, saying “Those sanctions waivers happened as much as anything else because of the relationship between the prime minister and the president.” Orban had earlier noted agreements in energy, including oil, gas and nuclear energy, as contributing to Hungary’s energy security.

A separate line of questioning addressed U.S. visa policy and recent U.S. court rulings cited by reporters. Rubio stated that visas are permissions to enter the United States and said the State Department will revoke visas if individuals’ presence “poses a threat, to our foreign policy, to our national security,” adding plainly, “A visa no one's entitled to a visa.”

Reporters also asked about a possible visit by the U.S. president and progress on a new U.S.–Hungary tax treaty; Rubio said he had no updates on a presidential visit and that the tax-treaty process was being looked at. Orban said short-term scheduling is common in international politics and stressed the strength of Hungary’s political institutions.

The ceremony concluded without announcing a timeline for implementation of the nuclear cooperation provisions. The agreement was signed onstage by Secretary Rubio for the United States and, as announced, by Hungary’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter C. Harto.