American Secretary of State Marco Rubio continued his European tour on Sunday in Slovakia, countries led by those close to Donald Trump. After having, from Munich, called on Europeans to defend "Western civilization", Washington intends to strengthen energy ties with its two right-wing allies. Marco Rubio is expected in Hungary on Monday.

Published on: 02/15/2026 - 04:23 Modified on: 02/16/2026 - 07:46

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The head of American diplomacy, Marco Rubio, continues his tour in Europe by visiting two countries led by people close to Donald Trump, first in Slovakia where he arrived on Sunday February 15, then in Hungary, the day after his call on Europeans to support Donald Trump's world vision while advocating the revitalization of the link with a "strong" Europe.

The head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio affirmed on Sunday that the United States did not want a Europe that was “dependent” or that was a “vassal”.

“We do not want Europe to be dependent, we do not ask for Europe to be a vassal of the United States,” he said at a press conference in Bratislava, alongside Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, adding that he wanted a “partner”.

The secretary of state insisted that it was in the United States' interest to have "a strong Europe" as transatlantic relations go through a turbulent period.

During a recent visit to Florida, Robert Fico, according to the Politico media citing anonymous European diplomats, expressed his concern about the mental state of the American president, but Washington and Bratislava vigorously denied this.

At the end of the meeting in Florida, the Slovak leader declared that he had had “extremely important” discussions on nuclear energy with Donald Trump.

The American Secretary of State will then travel to Budapest for meetings on Monday with Hungarian authorities including Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Donald Trump makes no secret of his support for the Hungarian nationalist leader, whom he describes as a "strong and powerful man", in view of the legislative elections scheduled for April 12.

Viktor Orban faces the toughest challenge since returning to power in 2010, with his Fidesz party trailing opposition party TISZA in independent polls.

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In a speech on Saturday, he pledged to continue his offensive against "pseudo-civil organizations, journalists, judges and bought politicians", not far from what Donald Trump is undertaking in the United States.

The Hungarian Prime Minister also announced his intention to travel to Washington to attend the inaugural meeting of the US President's Peace Council next week.

Viktor Orban is particularly close to the Trump administration because of its anti-migrant policies since the Syrian refugee crisis ten years ago.

Energy at the heart of discussions

Hungary also obtained, during a visit by Viktor Orban to the White House last year, an exemption from American sanctions on imports of Russian oil and gas.

Former Democratic President Joe Biden had much more hostile relations with Viktor Orban, whom he accused of "tending towards dictatorship", notably by muzzling independent media and campaigning against LGBT+ rights.

During the Slovak and Hungarian legs, there will be a lot of talk about energy, American officials said before the visit.

Also read: How the Munich Security Conference became the forum for global divisions

Both nations are landlocked Central European countries with close ties to the Kremlin, and they remain heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Slovakia and Hungary are engaged in a standoff with the European Union over the latter's decision to gradually eliminate imports of Russian gas.

Washington thus intends to strengthen energy ties with its two right-wing allies.

With Reuters

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