‘Trump 2.0 is a huge opportunity. Of course there are risks. Of course there will be things the administration does which I will disagree with. But the big picture is what matters. His victory is a victory for conservative forces across the world, a victory for foreign policy realism and for getting our means in line with resources.’
Balázs Orbán, the political director to the Hungarian prime minister, has penned a detailed opinion piece on the achievements of the Hungarian EU presidency thus far. And there have been plenty: the successful hosting of two Budapest summits, the adoption of the Budapest Declaration, and the expansion of the pro-peace camp—all of which Hungary has influenced directly or indirectly.
One of the most pressing issues in enhancing the competitiveness of Europe is the need to optimize defence spending. Europeans now spend much more on defence in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, with ten European NATO members set to reach the 2 per cent of GDP spending threshold by the end of 2024. However, developing and acquiring modern weapon systems of cutting-edge technology demand an exponential level of spending for development and production, which can hamstring the capabilities of nation-states if they want to fit out their armies fully with domestically produced equipment, from building tools to jet fighters.
Hungary is on track to establish a fully modernized and re-equipped military force, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky affirmed during a significant milestone of the Defence Development Programme. Speaking at the MH Klapka György Armoured Brigade base on 5 November, Szalay-Bobrovniczky marked the full deployment of the Gidrán combat vehicle fleet, signifying enhanced operational readiness and security capabilities for Hungary in light of ongoing regional conflicts.
Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky announced a historic agreement with Sweden to jointly develop the Gripen fighter jet. This cooperation elevates Hungarian–Swedish relations to a strategic level, the minister stated.
‘Hungary gave Western Europe time to prepare itself economically and militarily for centuries of struggle with the Turks. It is true, however, that Hungary projected the false impression that it alone could hold back the Turkish advance, which proved to be a tragic mistake. One thing is certain: the European public had much to be grateful for to the Hungarian armies of the time for these victories.’
Hungarian Gripen fighter jets are taking part in the Ramstein Flag 24 air defence exercise in Greece, a nearly two-week training aimed at bolstering NATO forces’ capabilities and strengthening member cooperation. The exercise is a key opportunity for allies to tackle Europe’s most complex threats and showcase their commitment to NATO’s collective defence strategy.
The Hungarian Ministry of Defence and the HDF’s joint initiative Szeretem, megvédem! (I love it, I protect it!) started in June, looking to recruit new people into the Army’s territorial reserve units. Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky has informed the public that since the start of the programme, over 2,000 people have joined.
The Hungarian government and Jewish communities, along with thousands of ordinary Hungarians, have shown full support of and solidarity with the State of Israel and the Jewish people in a number of ways since 7 October. We have listed the most important ones on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Hungary–Israel relations.
At the reception ceremony for the new aircraft Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky emphasized that Hungary is a pro-peace country, and the government is committed to both peacebuilding and peacekeeping, which requires making sure that the Hungarian airspace is safe.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.