Romanian Security Expert Warns of Hungarian Revisionism Amid Trump’s Victory

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Donald Trump.

The “threat” of Hungarian revisionism is on the mind of former Romanian security policy advisor Iulian Fota, who commented on President Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. election, reports Kronikaonline.ro.

The former state secretary for foreign affairs, former head of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute and instructor at the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) academy, recalled Romanians’ fear of Hungarian territorial claims, telling the Digi 24 news channel on Wednesday.

According to Fota:

In the wake of Trump’s victory, the biggest winner in our region is Viktor Orbán, who has a notoriously good relationship with the U.S. president-elect.

As he noted, Orbán is now on a “good track,” therefore we should be very careful “what he will demand.”

Fact

Revisionism, in a political context, generally refers to efforts to challenge or revise established territorial borders, political agreements, or historical interpretations, often with the aim of reclaiming territory, altering power structures, or addressing perceived historical injustices. In the case of Hungarian revisionism, it typically relates to Hungary’s efforts—or perceived desires—to regain territories lost under the Treaty of Trianon (1920). After World War I, the Treaty of Trianon drastically reduced Hungary’s territory and population. Previously part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary lost about two-thirds of its territory and over half of its population to neighboring countries, including Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, and Austria. As a result, significant Hungarian ethnic communities ended up outside Hungary’s new borders, leading to a lasting sense of grievance in Hungarian political and social thought.

Today, Hungarian revisionism is typically more symbolic or cultural, focusing on the rights and cultural identity of ethnic Hungarians in these neighboring countries rather than actual territorial reclamation. However, it remains a sensitive issue, especially in neighboring countries like Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia, that have significant Hungarian minority populations.

During the conversation, it was raised whether the Trump administration would give in to Orbán’s demands. “We have to look at what the demands are because we do not really know. (…) What is clear is that he will demand something. Viktor Orbán’s merits must be recognized. He was brave, he was inspired, he sensed the direction, he was consistent, he was loyal. Thus, it is no accident that the American conservative movement loves Viktor Orbán. He has an opportunity, he has a good lane now. What he will demand remains to be seen,” Fota said.

Recalling unfounded accusations by forces opposed to the Hungarian Prime Minister, the reporter called Viktor Orbán “Putin’s friend” and asked: can he build a relationship between the U.S. and Russia? Fota replied that this would mean “the re-emergence of a revisionist agenda in Central Europe after many years, and that will be a big problem.” “If something like that happens, it will happen precisely because Russia is revisionist and there are other revisionist states in this part of Europe. And if this revisionist agenda really starts to be accepted, tolerated, and maybe even supported by the White House, it will be a very big watershed,” he noted.

On the suggestion that the White House might support “Orbán’s revisionism,” Fota emphasized that it was one of the great unknowns. “I sincerely hope not. It remains to be seen, but it is a possible scenario,” he added.

“There are many states in our region that are unhappy with past agreements. (…) If those states get together, start pedaling and go to the White House with a revisionist agenda, given the transition and their relationship to the new administration, things get complicated. I mean, that scenario was always possible. But now it is more likely than before. Europe is anti-revisionism for good reason. Europe is based on the idea of making countries better, not bigger, as Trump has done. He wants to make the United States better, not bigger. That has been the main stake for years. And it has worked. Europe is much more prosperous, we are all at peace.

However, it has not removed the historical frustrations and the desire to revise some borders.

And it remains to be seen how much respect the White House has for Europe: if it does, it will not encourage revisionism, but if it wants to subordinate it, it will occupy it with something. Revisionism is the best way to do that,” the former presidential adviser concluded.

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