The German government criticizes US Vice President JD Vance and accuses him of meddling in the Hungarian election
The government in Berlin accused US Vice President JD Vance of hypocrisy on Wednesday, rejecting the US vice president's accusation that Brussels interfered in Hungary's election, writes Politico.
“We reject the allegation made by US Vice President JD Vance at an event in Hungary” of EU interference, deputy government spokesman Sebastian Hille told a news conference on Wednesday.
Berlin said that, on the contrary, Vance's visit to Budapest shortly before Sunday's vote in Hungary suggested that he himself could be guilty of meddling in the election, as he supported Viktor Orbán's government.
“I would like to point out, as Vance complains about alleged EU interference in the election, that the US Vice President was in Hungary just days before the election. That fact speaks for itself about who is interfering,” Sebastian Hille added.
The German government spokesman also said Chancellor Friedrich Merz “has no preference” regarding the outcome of Sunday's vote and will accept the decision of the Hungarian people.
Vance's attack on the EU
Standing alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Tuesday, Vance said “what happened in this country, what happened in the middle of this election campaign, is one of the worst examples of foreign meddling in an election that I've ever seen or read about.”
US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that “bureaucrats in Brussels” were trying to undermine Hungary's economy and energy independence, as he defended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who faces a crucial round of elections on Sunday.
The US vice president also said he wants to help Orbán “as much as he can”.
“Now, of course, I don't expect the Hungarian people to listen to the vice president of the United States — that's not the main reason I'm here. But I wanted to send a message to everyone, especially the bureaucrats in Brussels, who have done everything in their power to keep the citizens of Hungary in check because they don't like the leader who stood up for the Hungarian people,” he said.
US President Donald Trump endorsed Orbán several times during the campaign, an unusual show of US support for a European leader running for re-election, writes Politico.
Opposition leader Péter Magyar criticized Vance's visit to X. “No foreign country has the right to interfere in Hungarian elections,” he wrote. “This is our country. Hungary's history is not written in Washington, Moscow or Brussels — it is written in the streets and squares of Hungary.”
