The Trump administration has encouraged former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to seek the job of United Nations secretary-general and discussed a joint candidacy with Russia and China, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board wrote on Sunday, citing sources in three countries.
Orbán is interested but undecided, and he would not enter without a strong chance of winning, according to the report. He declined to comment. He hasn’t been nominated yet, and neither Russia nor China has publicly committed.
The idea was floated by US officials, the sources said. They reportedly told Chinese and Russian counterparts they wanted “someone like Orbán” and got a warm response. A State Department official estimated Orbán could comfortably win eight of the Security Council’s 15 votes and possibly 10. A recommendation needs nine of 15 votes, and Washington, Moscow, Beijing, London or Paris can each block it. US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance would likely endorse a run, the sources said, and any announcement would probably come after the US midterms.
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Britain and France, meanwhile, have not commented on the matter. The report says they may not stand in the way of a candidate backed by Russia, China, the United States and most of the Council.
Orbán lost Hungary’s April election to Péter Magyar after 16 years in power. Trump endorsed him before the vote, and Vance campaigned for him. Hungarian journalist Szabolcs Panyi reported in May that figures in US conservative circles were discussing a senior UN post for Orbán, and his sources said the draw was the diplomatic immunity that comes with it.
Hungary’s new government has pledged to investigate alleged abuses under his rule. When Panyi later reported that Orbán was weighing UN or FIFA roles, Fidesz communications director Bertalan Havasi called the claims “fake news.”
All seven candidates then in the race drew at least two vetoes in the Council’s sixth straw poll on October 16, and Senegal’s Macky Sall withdrew afterward. Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan has come out on top in most rounds. The UAE nominated its minister of state, Lana Nusseibeh, on October 21. Under the custom of regional rotation, a Latin American candidate has the edge. The Jerusalem Post reported that the Council will hold another straw poll Wednesday.
Secretary-General António Guterres’s second term ends December 31, and his successor takes office January 1, 2027. The General Assembly appoints whomever the Security Council recommends.
