Officials in the Trump administration are pushing the idea of nominating former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán for the post of UN secretary-general, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The plan, which remains unconfirmed, could see Orbán become a joint candidate of the United States, Russia, and China.
Orbán, who led Hungary for 16 years with an absolute majority, was defeated in the April parliamentary election by Péter Magyar's Tisza party. His hard-right, anti-migration, and eurosceptic policies, along with democratic backsliding in Hungary, strained ties with the EU and NATO. Yet he maintained close relationships with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping.
An unlikely alliance
The Wall Street Journal, citing sources in all three countries, reports that the Trump administration is backing Orbán's bid. A US State Department official admitted the idea sounds crazy at first but said previous talks suggest Russia and China also support it. The aim is for Orbán to be the joint candidate of the three countries.
“If the United States, Russia and China want the same thing in the UN Security Council, they usually achieve it,” officials from the US and another country told the newspaper. The current secretary-general, António Guterres, ends his second five-year term on 31 December.
The White House, Moscow, and Beijing have not confirmed the information. Orbán's spokesperson has not responded to requests for comment, but previously dismissed press reports about his candidacy for a deputy secretary-general role as “fake news”.
Since losing power, several members of Orbán's former government have faced fraud and corruption investigations. Two former ministers and the former governor of Hungary's National Bank are under arrest, and authorities could examine Orbán's potential involvement.
According to the WSJ, Orbán would only run if his victory were assured, a scenario that currently seems unlikely. A candidate needs at least nine votes from the 15 Security Council members, and any of the five permanent members—including France and the UK—can veto.
The idea of Orbán at the UN has raised eyebrows across Europe, given his history of clashing with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and his overtures to Moscow and Beijing. Some analysts see the move as part of a broader realignment in which Washington, under Trump, has sought closer ties with authoritarian leaders, as seen in Trump's embrace of Putin and the recent Russian diesel cargo to the US.
If Orbán were to become secretary-general, it would mark a dramatic shift for the UN, which has traditionally been led by figures seen as neutral diplomats. His candidacy would also test the unity of the Security Council's permanent members, with France and the UK likely to resist.
For now, the proposal remains speculative. But the fact that it is being floated at all underscores the unpredictable nature of the current geopolitical landscape, where traditional alliances are being reshaped and unconventional candidates are gaining traction.
