U.S. Vice President JD Vance endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of Hungarian parliamentary elections on April 12 in a joint press conference following a meeting in Budapest on April 7, Reuters reported the same day. Ahead of the visit, Bloomberg reported that Hungarian energy company MOL was expected to sign a deal to purchase 500,000 tons of U.S. oil for approximately $500 million.

Hungary is heading into closely contested parliamentary elections on April 12, with independent polls consistently showing opposition leader Peter Magyar's Tisza party leading Orban's Fidesz. The vote represents Orban's most competitive electoral challenge to date after 16 years in power. The United States has maintained close ties with Orban, with President Donald Trump publicly endorsing him multiple times and advancing bilateral energy cooperation in recent months, including agreements on LNG supplies, nuclear fuel procurement and broader plans for potential U.S.-backed nuclear capacity expansion.