What will be the main topics of Viktor Orbán’s 7 November White House meeting with Donald Trump? Can he secure an opt-out on energy, and how will Hungary’s connectivity strategy hold up if global powers clash? We spoke with the Deputy State Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office about the potential new deals between Trump and Orbán.
Four Hungarian students from the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University detained for conscription have been released, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó confirmed on Wednesday. He said the students were exempt from service under Ukrainian law and that Budapest had maintained constant contact with local authorities.
‘A significant milestone in Central European defence cooperation has been reached as the Regional Special Operations Component Command, led by Hungary, has officially achieved full operational capability. The command brings together the special operations forces of Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia…’
‘Trump’s EO perhaps instinctively draws from the historical lesson: that love of one’s country is not a limitation of freedom—it is a precondition of a nation’s survival.’
‘Germany faces a stark choice between continued strategic drift and fundamental transformation. The half-measures of constrained realism will prove no more effective than the delusions of values-based idealism when confronted with determined opposition…Only genuine sovereign realism…offers the possibility of effective foreign policy in the age of great power competition.’
‘Our world has changed, the international order has transformed, and every actor is trying to adapt. With the end of unipolarity, the hegemony of liberal foreign policy also ended…Free trade has given way to protectionism; moralizing, value-centric diplomacy has given way to transactional realism. However, this recognition apparently eludes the European Union.’
‘In international studies, the Hungarian merchant is considered one of the discoverers of Tibetan art, as he recognized the cultural values of the Himalayan peoples early on…He is also considered the second founder of the Asian Art Museum, founded by Ferenc Hopp, as he donated so many, mainly Indian and Tibetan statues and scroll paintings, to the collection.’
‘The debut of a Korean hypersonic missile prototype was one of the exhibition’s highlights, placing Seoul into an elite club.’
Hungary successfully concluded its largest military exercise since the political transition, the Adaptive Hussars 2025. The NATO-linked drill tested the army’s full spectrum of capabilities and marked a milestone in Hungary’s ongoing defence modernization.
Hungary’s Lynx KF41 prototype has proven its worth, paving the way for Ukrainian production with Rheinmetall’s support. Tested in Ukraine in late 2024, the vehicle impressed local forces, leading to a German–Ukrainian agreement to build a domestic Lynx factory. Modular and versatile, the KF41 strengthens European defence collaboration and sets a new standard for armoured vehicles.