What is particularly interesting is a certain hypocrisy of the American vice president, who during one part of the press conference openly told Hungarians to vote for Orbán, and then criticized European Union officials for interfering in elections. "I want to help the prime minister as much as possible as he faces this election season, which I believe is being held for about seven days, the election for the new prime minister of Hungary," he said. A few minutes later, ironically, Vance criticized Brussels for interfering in the electoral process. "That is one of the worst examples of foreign election interference I have ever seen, what the bureaucrats in Brussels are doing trying to destroy the Hungarian economy. Part of the reason we are here, and part of the reason the President of the United States sent me here is because we believe the amount of interference coming from the bureaucracy in Brussels is truly shameful. I will not tell the people of Hungary how to vote. I would encourage the bureaucrats in Brussels to do exactly the same," Vance stated. He seemed to forget his words about not telling Hungarians how to vote a bit later, when he said he was "confident in Orbán's victory." Vance also praised the Hungarian prime minister for his positions on Ukraine, as well as his approach toward Russia in the context of energy. "It is interesting to watch prime ministers and leaders in some Western European capitals talk about the energy crisis, when frankly, they should have followed the policies of Viktor Orbán in Hungary," he said. The U.S. vice president also spoke about relations between America and Hungary, especially since Trump's return to the White House. "There is so much that unites the United States and Hungary, and unfortunately, there have been too few people willing to stand up in defense of Western civilization's values. Orbán is a rare exception that unfortunately proves the rule," Vance claimed. He spoke about moral cooperation, as he called it, between the U.S. and Hungary, and about "defending the values of Western civilization." "It is a defense of the idea that we are founded on a certain Christian civilization and Christian values that permeate everything, from freedom of speech to the rule of law, to respect for minority rights and protection of the vulnerable," he added.