Rubio backs Orbán’s bid for another term ahead of April elections

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán 's bid to serve a fifth straight term after upcoming elections in April.

"At the end of the day, we are still human, we're still people, and that person-to-person connection that you've established with the president has made all the difference in the world in building this relationship," Rubio said at a press conference with Orbán in Budapest after the Munich Security Conference, Euronews reported.

"I can say to you with confidence that President Trump is deeply committed to your success, because your success is our success."

Rubio noted that last November, Hungary received a one-year exemption from US sanctions on importers of Russian oil because of his connection to US President Donald Trump."It was because of that personal relationship. It's because we want you to continue. After all, we want this economy to prosper, we want this country to do well. It's in our national interest," Rubio said.

At the press conference, the Hungarian Foreign Minister and his US counterpart signed an agreement on energy cooperation and hailed what they described as a "golden age" of bilateral relations.