Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a fierce ally of Vladimir Putin, has expressed his enthusiasm for working with President-elect Donald Trump following his election victory.
Orbán, a controversial figure frequently criticised for his authoritarian style, appears to share a mutual admiration with Trump, who once described him as "a great man" disliked because he's "too strong".
The US President-elect also praised Orbán as one of the "most respected men" globally during a September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
In recent weeks, CBS News reported that Orbán had worked behind the scenes in support of Trump’s re-election, suggesting their bond "could become a defining foreign policy relationship for a second Trump term".
Following Trump’s victory over Harris yesterday, Orbán announced that he had already spoken to the president-elect, hinting at ambitious plans for the years ahead.
He wrote on X: "Mar-a-Lago calling. Just had my first phone conversation with President @realDonaldTrump since the elections. We have big plans for the future!"
An earlier post read: "The biggest comeback in US political history! Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his enormous win. A much-needed victory for the World!"
However, US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman criticised Orbán’s apparent backing of Trump, likening the Hungarian leader’s approach to a high-stakes gamble.
He said: "Prime Minister Orbán treated this election like a card game at a casino. He placed a very big bet - not with money, but with the US-Hungary relationship."
"The damage caused runs deeper than a four-year term of a president because it is rooted in an impulse to transform something big and lasting, a relationship between allies - between strong nations - into something smaller and fleeting."
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Trump won Tuesday's election by securing 50.9% of the popular vote - translating to 295 Electoral College votes out of the 270 needed to take the White House.
The Republican claimed he won a "magnificent victory for the American people" and promised to "help our country heal" in a victory speech in Florida. Trump made the speech after winning the key swing states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Trump said he would fix the country and its borders, calling his comeback "the greatest political movement of all time." He said: "There's never been anything like this in this country.
"We're going to help our country heal. We've got a country that needs help... badly... We're going to fix our borders... We've made history."
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