US Reportedly Backs Orbán Bid for UN Secretary-General, Eyeing Russian and Chinese Support

The Trump administration is promoting former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán as a candidate for UN secretary-general, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal that cites unnamed sources. Washington is said to be counting on backing from Russia and China. The report was relayed by European Pravda and Ukrainska Pravda.

The newspaper says the United States did not merely welcome Orbán's decision to enter the race. According to the account, it was Washington that first suggested the idea to him.

One State Department official in the Trump administration conceded that the proposal sounds crazy at first glance. Even so, based on earlier conversations with Washington, Russia and China are believed to favor the idea. The plan, as described, is for Orbán to become a joint candidate of the three powers.

Officials from the US and from another country told the paper that when Washington, Moscow and Beijing pursue the same goal in the UN Security Council, they generally get their way.

A State Department representative counted eight Security Council votes that would back Orbán "comfortably", with another 10 votes out of the council's 15 members that could potentially be secured. One American official called him "the dream MAGA-conservative candidate".

The WSJ ties that appeal largely to his record of acting against mass migration, liberal NGOs, left-leaning courts and the press. The paper also notes that Orbán often clashed with the European Union while benefiting from its subsidies, and that his pro-China orientation never damaged his image as a defender of Western civilisation.

If Orbán formally puts himself forward, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are expected to support him again. A source familiar with the process said the announcement is being held back until after the US midterm elections.

American officials first approached Orbán to gauge his interest in the UN job. They found him positively inclined, though with caveats.

A representative of the second country contrasted him with the other contenders, whom the person described as heavy on "secretary", meaning experience in international bureaucracy or behind-the-scenes diplomacy. Orbán, by comparison, would be a "general". The State Department representative agreed, adding that Orbán holds the correct ideology, knows how to wield power under hostile conditions and will not be intimidated by the establishment.

The report comes amid ongoing debate over UN reform. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez recently stressed the need to strengthen accountability mechanisms against governments and forces that undermine international rules and launch wars of aggression. Calls to abolish the Security Council veto have persisted, especially since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also urged removing it. In spring, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticised the council's inability to decide because of individual members' vetoes.