Trump to meet Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orbán despite objections
Hungary is considering buying a US medium-range air-defence system and possibly Lockheed Martin fighter jets
Washington — President Donald Trump prepared to meet Hungary's nationalist leader, Viktor Orbán, at the White House on Monday despite bipartisan objections from Congress, as the US seeks to steer the Central European nation and Nato member away from Russia and China. Orbán — an early backer of Trump’s 2016 bid for president and his “America First” mantra — has also campaigned against migrants and sought to test the influence of international institutions. He has declared Hungary an “illiberal” democracy and enacted crackdowns on the press and limits on elections and the judiciary. Orbán has been in office since 2010 but never had a White House meeting with President Barack Obama. His visit comes only after Trump met the leaders of the other three former communist states in the Visegrad region — Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. White House officials say the US government has repeatedly raised governance concerns with Hungary. They say the visit is important as Trump seek...
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