USA Trump denies 20 billion euro protective shield for Hungary
According to US President Donald Trump, he has not yet promised Hungary funding of up to 20 billion US dollars (almost 17.2 billion euros). "No, I haven't promised him that, but he has certainly asked for it," he said in an interview with the news portal Politico.
09.12.2025, 21:18
SDA
In mid-November, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told his delegation after a visit to the White House that his country could now "count on an American financial shield" in the event of a "speculative or political attack" from abroad, as Hungarian media close to the government reported at the time. He added: "This is how I plan for the future. Good morning, Brussels!" - alluding to the large sums of money that the EU does not pay out to Hungary due to shortcomings in the rule of law.
Days later, in an interview with the Hungarian TV station ATV, Orban also mentioned the sums he was hoping to receive from the USA. When asked by the reporter whether there was an upper limit for this sum, Orban said: "There is no (upper limit), but it doesn't take much imagination to figure it out, and the amount we need for stability is 10-20 billion dollars or euros, which is not a significant amount from the American point of view."
In the "Politico" interview, Trump appealed for understanding for Hungary's situation: the country has no access to the sea, meaning that ships with energy imports cannot land. Trump had previously allowed the EU member state to import energy from Russia for another year - despite US sanctions that had actually come into force due to the war in Ukraine.
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto denied that Orban had announced such an agreement with the USA: "I was present at the meeting between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban, at which no agreement for 20 billion dollars was actually reached, as no one has claimed," the minister wrote on Facebook. Only talks on "a new type of financial cooperation" were agreed, which could provide financial protection for Hungary.
