Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, one of the few European leaders close to Donald Trump, congratulated the new American president on Monday, asserting that nationalist forces strengthened by the billionaire’s inauguration should now "occupy" Brussels.
"Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump! Now it’s our turn to shine! Our turn to occupy Brussels!" he declared on social media platform X.
Although Viktor Orbán did not travel to Washington DC, he met Donald Trump three times last year and has supported him since 2016.
The two men share the same illiberal opposition to immigration. They also agree on the urgency of resolving the conflict in Ukraine, criticising military aid to Kyiv.
"A new president in America, a great patriotic faction in Brussels... This is how the great attack can begin," Orbán warned in a speech on Monday in Budapest, launching "the second phase of the offensive to occupy Brussels."
The Hungarian leader had already promised to "occupy Brussels" after the European elections in June 2024.
He has formed a new radical right-wing group, Patriots for Europe, the third-largest political force in the European Parliament.
Within the Commission, however, the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi has obtained a portfolio on Health and Animal Welfare.
