Trump’s Reported Push For Orbán To Lead the UN Is a Joke, European Leaders Say

The Trump Administration is reportedly pushing for Viktor Orbán to become the United Nations secretary-general but France and the United Kingdom could stand in the way.Mr. Orbán has shown interest in taking the role and Russia and China would support his selection, the Wall Street Journal reported. Any vote for a new secretary-general requires nine of the 15 members of the security council to agree on a recommendation. A United States State Department official estimated that there were already eight votes secured for Mr. Orbán and at least two more within reach.Even with enough votes, the five permanent members of the council — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — each have an option to veto any candidate, even if the candidate reaches nine votes. Britain and France have traditionally avoided using their veto power, the paper noted.Secretary-General António Guterres is set to leave office on December 31 after nearly 10 years in the role. A straw poll more than a week ago showed that none of the seven current candidates has the support of all five permanent members, leaving the door open for a new nominee.Mr. Orbán lost an April reelection vote after 16 years in power as Hungary’s prime minister after being soundly defeated by his center-right challenger, Péter Magyar, who was once a member of Mr. Orbán’s own party. The defeat came shortly after Vice President JD Vance publicly campaigned with him. President Trump also endorsed Mr. Orbán has long praised him as a strong leader.Mr. Orbán had been seen as a model for European and American conservatives looking to crack down on immigration and cultural stances. He pushed back against the European Union and backed Moscow in the war against Ukraine.Any announcement involving a nomination of Mr. Orbán would not come until after the midterm election, according to the report. It also stated that he would not want to run unless he is assured he would win the position.The White House wouldn’t confirm the Journal report. A senior official in the administration told the Sun that any and all candidates are continuing to be evaluated.The idea of an Orbán nomination is not getting a positive response from some Europeans. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday, when asked about the idea, said he had not heard about it but took it as a joke. “Just a moment ago, he was a candidate for president of the European Commission. This seems to me just as funny as that first rumor,” Mr. Tusk said, Politico reported.Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticized the proposal. “I am certain that Viktor Orbán, as UN Secretary-General, would put to good use the masterful veto and blackmail skills he has developed over years of derailing major EU decisions,” Mr. Sybiha said in an X post. “We can share with the rest of the world our great experience of taking him out for coffee at the right moment,” he added.An online petition posted Monday called for United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French president Emmanuel Macron to veto any nomination. The French and UK governments have not publicly commented on a possible nomination of Mr. Orbán and whether they would use their veto power.

Trump’s Reported Push For Orbán To Lead the UN Is a Joke, European Leaders Say

Trump’s Reported Push For Orbán To Lead the UN Is a Joke, European Leaders Say

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