The Trump administration is promoting Viktor Orban to the position of UN Secretary General, certain that Russia and China will support his candidacy. WSJ Sources from these three countries confirm that the United States has encouraged the former Hungarian prime minister to participate in the election, he has expressed interest, but Orban has not yet made a final decision on whether to run, the Wall Street Journal reports. A Trump State Department official admits the idea sounds crazy at first glance. However, following preliminary negotiations, China and Russia supported it. And the official believes Viktor Orban can secure significant support in the UN Security Council with up to 10 votes. "As officials from the U.S. and one other country told us, when the U.S., Russia and China want the same thing at the U.N. Security Council, they usually get it," the story said. The key question is how Britain and France, both permanent members of the Security Council and with veto power, will react. The report suggested that the two countries may avoid blocking a candidate supported by a majority of the council and the other three permanent members. However, neither London nor Paris were mentioned as having taken an official position on the issue. According to the report, Orban's name came up repeatedly during discussions among US officials about the preferred candidate to be the next UN secretary-general. US officials reportedly said they were looking for "someone like Orban" and their Chinese and Russian counterparts agreed. Washington then began to consider whether to approach Orban directly. In the end he expressed interest, but did not want to announce his candidacy, being unsure of victory. The former Hungarian prime minister declined to comment.

The Trump administration is promoting Viktor Orban to the position of UN Secretary General, certain that Russia and China will support his candidacy. WSJ Sources from these three countries confirm that the United States has encouraged the former Hungarian prime minister to participate in the election, he has expressed interest, but Orban has not yet made a final decision on whether to run, the Wall Street Journal reports. A Trump State Department official admits the idea sounds crazy at first glance. However, following preliminary negotiations, China and Russia supported it. And the official believes Viktor Orban can secure significant support in the UN Security Council with up to 10 votes. "As officials from the U.S. and one other country told us, when the U.S., Russia and China want the same thing at the U.N. Security Council, they usually get it," the story said. The key question is how Britain and France, both permanent members of the Security Council and with veto power, will react. The report suggested that the two countries may avoid blocking a candidate supported by a majority of the council and the other three permanent members. However, neither London nor Paris were mentioned as having taken an official position on the issue. According to the report, Orban's name came up repeatedly during discussions among US officials about the preferred candidate to be the next UN secretary-general. US officials reportedly said they were looking for "someone like Orban" and their Chinese and Russian counterparts agreed. Washington then began to consider whether to approach Orban directly. In the end he expressed interest, but did not want to announce his candidacy, being unsure of victory. The former Hungarian prime minister declined to comment.