After ten years, NATO will have a new Secretary General: outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. As head of government, Rutte has often criticised Hungary, but he has promised to honour the agreement between Viktor Orbán and Jens Stoltenberg that Hungary will stay out of NATO’s mission in Ukraine.
‘This is why the model pioneered by Viktor Orbán and Fidesz matters so much to Western conservatives. Orbán understood a long time ago that powerful private actors—especially George Soros and his Open Society Foundations—exercise disproportionate power over Hungarian affairs, or at least seek to do so. Similarly, public institutions that have been captured by illiberal progressives operate as if they have a natural right to evade scrutiny and accountability. And if leaders of the political Right are too shackled by their right-liberal convictions to take the fight to them, why shouldn’t the cultural socialists do whatever they think is necessary to win?’
On 27 May 2024 the Bulgarian President paid a visit to the Hungarian capital to meet with the President of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. These meetings have resulted in the commitment of both sides to develop economic and cultural cooperation, keep the current arrangement in natural gas transit from Bulgaria, and the support for the Hungarian agenda for its upcoming presidency over the Council of the European Union.
The New York Times published a profile piece on Hungarian hip hop superstar Attila Baukó, better known by his stage name Azahriah. As the article points out, even Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has claimed to be a fan of the popular artist, despite his conservative views being at odds with some of the themes in Azahriah’s music.
Hungary has received assurances from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that it will not have to participate in military action outside its territory. Stoltenberg and Viktor Orbán held talks in Budapest on Wednesday, during which, in addition to discussing the war, Hungary’s significant contribution to the functioning of the defence alliance was also highlighted.
One of the main priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency, which starts in July, is to increase the EU’s competitiveness. Preparations are already well underway, and on Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with the leaders of the European Roundtable for Industry to gather their advice and develop an effective Hungarian programme.
‘Viktor Orbán showed us that an alternative to the leftist, open-border government is not only possible but can be highly successful and popular amongst the people. That’s inspiring. However, for it to be a true success, the seeds planted by Hungary in the rest of Europe have to sprout as well. And that is not the responsibility of Viktor Orbán or the Hungarians, but of right-wing politicians in other countries.’
Viktor Orbán has a very long record in public life, from his early days as a strong anti-communist freedom fighter, through to his first stint in government, and now to this long and successful tenure as a prime minister. He’s been able to articulate a brand of conservatism that is both economically sensible and culturally conservative and traditionalist.
According to former United States ambassador to Budapest David Cornstein, Donald Trump is the only person in the world who can bring an end to the Russo–Ukrainian war. Cornstein also praised Viktor Orbán and the achievements of the Hungarian government.
Donald Trump emphasized that as President, he ‘proudly worked together’ with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to defend the values and interests of both the Hungarian and the American nation.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.