Hungary will take steps to ensure transparency about funds coming from the United States to NGOs and media critical of the government, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in an interview with state radio on Monday, Reuters and BTA reported.
Orban, an ally of US President Donald Trump, said now was the time to “eliminate foreign networks“ after the Trump administration considered merging the US Agency for International Development (USAID) with the State Department as part of sweeping reforms to contain spending in line with Trump's “America First” policy.
“In America, we would call them agents because they do not serve their own country but accept money from "We don't call them agents, but these are people and organizations that are paid from abroad and whose task is to overthrow the Hungarian government," Orban said.
The leader of the Hungarian nationalists, who is preparing for elections in early 2026, stressed that recipients of foreign funding should face "legal consequences" and be isolated because they pose a threat to Hungarian sovereignty.
In late 2023, Orban passed a law that created a body - the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty - to investigate and monitor the risks of political interference. The law, which has been criticized by the European Union, the United States and several international organizations, prohibits foreign funding of parties or groups participating in elections and provides for penalties of up to three years in prison.
In February 2024 The European Commission has opened criminal proceedings against Hungary over the law, saying it could undermine the democratic values and fundamental rights of the union.
In addition, Orbán announced that Hungary was preparing to sign a significant economic deal with the US government to repair the "damage" caused by the previous US administration. According to him, the Democratic administration had not renewed "some agreements", imposed "sanctions" and created "travel difficulties". He added that the new agreement would boost US investment, but did not provide details.