European Union diplomats are already bracing for what Hungarian Prime Minister and chief EU troublemaker Viktor Orbán might try to pull off if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidency on Tuesday — shortly before a key summit of European heads of state in Budapest.
Some fear Orbán could try to use the gathering to coalesce a shared pro-Putin, anti-immigrant vision that squeezes out dissenting voices among like-minded European leaders. The Hungarian leader has long hoped to build a transatlantic bridge with Trump that could include his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico and Czech nationalist Andrej Babiš, who aims to topple his country’s governing coalition in a national election next year.
Whatever happens, the EU’s 27 leaders will have front-row seats for it in Budapest on Thursday and Friday as the bloc’s leaders meet days after the U.S. election.
“It will dominate everything,” said a senior EU diplomat, who like other diplomats was granted anonymity to speak candidly.
The Hungarian leader, who has cultivated deep ties with Trump’s entourage, including several visits to meet the Republican candidate at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, has advocated a negotiated solution between Russia and Ukraine, echoing Trump. Such plans have been lambasted by Kyiv and Brussels, which argue that the war should be ended on Ukraine’s terms. Top European officials have scrambled to prepare for a potential Trump return to the White House.
EU leaders, who defied calls by some Baltic diplomats for a boycott on the Budapest gathering, could face a tough choice: Speak up and contradict their host, stressing that the results aren’t final, or remain silent and dismiss Orbán’s antics as just more noise from the EU’s troll-in-chief.
It’s also possible that, with the U.S. race in a dead heat, official results won’t be announced until after they have boarded planes back to their respective capitals on Friday evening. Not having a result would at least save them from having to go on the record.
“If the election hasn’t been officially called, what do you comment on?” asked a third diplomat.
Two other EU diplomats hinted that Orbán might set up a video call with the gloating Republican candidate, which he would use to embarrass European leaders. The Hungarian leader openly touts his links to Trump and has vowed to pop “several bottles of Champagne” if he’s reelected. Several EU diplomats say they fear he will congratulate Trump on a purported victory well before official results are announced (as he did in Georgia’s disputed election in October).
“Obviously the question of how this plays out, the optics, is on our minds,” said a second EU diplomat. “There will be a lot of media attention around how Orbán reacts, whether he will rush to say something or wait.”
On the other hand, if victory goes to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, EU leaders will sigh in relief, as it would be seen as a continuation of the status quo.
But the EU shouldn’t be complacent about a potential Harris presidency either, some European capitals stressed. Europe’s push for greater strategic autonomy will be front and center on Friday as well, when EU leaders will discuss the future of European competitiveness with former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, who will present his landmark report.
“Some claim that the future of Europe depends on the American elections, [but] it depends first and foremost on us,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk tweeted on Sunday.
“Europe finally grows up and believes in its own strength. Whatever the outcome, the era of geopolitical outsourcing is over.”
The post Trump BFF Orbán to make populist pitch amid US election appeared first on Politico.
