The United States Secretary of State, Robert Rubio, began a two-day visit to Eastern Europe on Sunday, with the aim of strengthening the relationship between the United States and Slovakia and Hungary. Despite the conservative leadership in these two countries often differing in opinions from other EU nations, they have maintained good relations with U.S. President Trump.
On Sunday, Rubio arrived in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, and was welcomed at the airport by Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar. This marked the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to the country in seven years.
Rubio met with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, where they discussed energy and defense issues. Pellegrini’s office stated in a press release that a key topic of discussion was defense cooperation and the fulfillment of NATO summit commitments.
Following the meeting with Pellegrini, Rubio also met with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who had visited Florida last month and met with President Trump.
Regarding nuclear energy cooperation, Slovakia signed an agreement with the U.S. last month. Fico mentioned that Westinghouse, a U.S.-based company, is likely to construct a new nuclear power plant in Slovakia.
According to a statement released by the U.S. State Department last week, Rubio’s visit to Slovakia aims to advance shared regional security interests, enhance bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy and energy diversification, and support Slovakia’s military modernization and NATO commitments.
The visit to Slovakia is part of Rubio’s European itinerary. His first stop was Munich, Germany, where he attended the Munich Security Conference on Friday and Saturday, holding a series of bilateral meetings during this time.
Rubio is scheduled to visit Hungary on Monday, where he is expected to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“President Trump has expressed his strong support for Orban, and we share that sentiment,” Rubio stated before departing for Europe. “However, we will be conducting this visit in a bilateral format.”
Orban is one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe. Hungary has hosted conservative political events such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), bringing together conservative activists and leaders. The next conference is set for March.
During his time in Hungary, Rubio will meet with key Hungarian officials to strengthen both countries’ bilateral and regional interests, including the U.S.’s commitment to the U.S.-Hungary energy partnership, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department released last week.
Before heading to Europe on Thursday, Rubio told the media that the relationships between these two Eastern European countries and the U.S. are very strong, with a high level of cooperation.
(Adapted from Reuters reporting.)