Trump Reportedly Backs Viktor Orbán for UN Secretary-General

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is working to promote the candidacy of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for the position of United Nations Secretary-General. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Orbán with the backing of Russia and China.

So far, nine diplomats have submitted their candidacies for the position, but none has secured the required majority of votes in the UN Security Council. The next Secretary-General is expected to succeed António Guterres, whose term ends at the close of this year.

Trump Seeks International Support for Orbán's Candidacy

According to the newspaper, American officials have approached Orbán and encouraged him to enter the race. Orbán reportedly expressed willingness to consider the position but does not want to launch a campaign unless he is convinced he has a realistic chance of winning.

Under UN procedures, a candidate must secure the support of at least nine of the Security Council's 15 members without facing a veto from any of the five permanent members. Therefore, even if the United States, Russia, and China support Orbán, Britain and France could still block his appointment. Following the Security Council's recommendation, the candidate must also receive approval from the UN General Assembly.

According to the report, Trump and Vice President JD Vance are expected to support Orbán if he decides to run. However, any potential announcement is reportedly being postponed until after the U.S. midterm elections.

Rival Candidates Compete for UN Leadership

So far, Rebeca Grynspan, the Jewish candidate from Costa Rica, has led the informal straw polls conducted within the Security Council. However, in the latest round, she and all the other candidates reportedly received at least two negative votes from permanent members.

Meanwhile, Lana Nusseibeh, an Emirati diplomat who served as her country's ambassador to the United Nations for approximately a decade, entered the race last week.

Nusseibeh, who has Palestinian roots, has defended the UAE's normalization agreement with Israel over the years. At the same time, she has worked to promote humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and strongly criticized Israel's conduct during the war while the UAE served on the Security Council.

Her candidacy has already received the backing of the six Gulf states and the Palestinians.