The US president has called the EU country's prime minister a "powerful leader" and close ally

US President Donald Trump has endorsed Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of Hungary's parliamentary election in April.

The election will likely be a tough test for Orban's longstanding conservative rule, with the pro-EU Tisza Party, led by Peter Magyar, emerging as the main opposition party.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump called Orban a "truly strong and powerful leader" with a record of "phenomenal results." He said the prime minister has protected Hungary, grown the economy, created jobs, and promoted trade.

Trump went on to say that they have both worked to "Stop Illegal Immigration" and "Ensure LAW AND ORDER," adding that the US and Hungary have reached "new heights of cooperation" during Orban's term.

Calling the Hungarian leader a close ally and "true friend," he wrote: "I was proud to ENDORSE Viktor for Re-Election in 2022, and am honored to do so again."

Last month, Orban quipped that Trump "may have wanted to put Greenland into his whiskey as a large piece of ice," and although he could not do this, from now on, "that piece of ice is definitely his."

He added that Trump managed to "kick-start" international institutions that stagnated under what he called "well-mannered European academics."

Orban is Hungary's longest-serving prime minister, first holding office from 1998 to 2002 before returning to power in 2010.

His Fidesz alliance faces a tough contest in the upcoming election, with a poll by 21 Kutatokozpont on February 3 showing the Tisza Party leading by seven points, with 35% support versus 28% for Fidesz.

Orban also faces strained relations with the EU. A critic of the bloc's Ukraine policy, he has frequently clashed with Brussels, blocking or opposing initiatives such as military aid for Kiev and the EU's push to use frozen Russian assets to fund the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Budapest has opposed the sweeping sanctions imposed on Russia by NATO and the EU, and has criticized Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

Orban warned in January that if the pro-EU Tisza Party wins the election, it "will end up taking our children to war as soldiers."