Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar held a brief discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, with the two leaders agreeing to organize a bilateral meeting in the near future, Magyar said on Wednesday upon arriving at the NATO summit in Ankara.
Speaking to journalists, Magyar said Hungary’s position on the war in Ukraine was clear: Ukraine is the victim, Russia is the aggressor, and Kyiv has the right to defend its territorial integrity. At the same time, the Hungarian prime minister stressed that Budapest would continue providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine but would not supply weapons or send soldiers to the country. ‘Hungary will continue to support Ukraine through humanitarian means, but we will not provide weapons, troops, soldiers or military assistance,’ Magyar said.
According to the prime minister, Hungarian voters made a clear decision in April and gave his government a strong mandate regarding its foreign and security policy. Magyar also emphasized Hungary’s commitment to NATO, saying that Hungarians believe in the strength and unity of the alliance. ‘Our common interest is for NATO to remain united,’ he said, adding that his government was committed to making Hungary ‘a reliable ally again’ within the military alliance.
The prime minister said Hungary had already decided to increase defence spending in a predictable manner, with military expenditure set to reach 5 per cent of GDP by 2035.
In a video message published later, Magyar said his meeting with Zelenskyy had resulted in an agreement to hold their future talks either in Budapest or Kyiv. Following the meeting, the two leaders would also travel together to Transcarpathia, including the town of Berehove, he added.
Magyar also reported that the NATO summit in Türkiye began with an informal dinner on Tuesday, followed by several bilateral meetings. On Wednesday morning, he held discussions with the prime ministers of Montenegro, Norway and Canada. The Hungarian leader said there was significant international interest in Hungary’s position and that he had made clear that Budapest supports a strong and united NATO while seeking to act as a constructive and dependable ally. During his talks with Montenegro’s prime minister, Magyar said they discussed the European Union integration of Western Balkan countries. He described Montenegro as one of the most advanced EU candidate states and said there was hope it could join the bloc next year.
He added that Hungary has important investments in Montenegro and other Western Balkan countries, and the two sides agreed to support each other’s economic interests. The NATO summit’s plenary session was scheduled to begin on Wednesday with an opening speech by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, followed by remarks from US President Donald Trump and representatives of member states. Magyar said NATO members were expected to adopt a declaration regarding a €70 billion financial support package for Ukraine, but stressed that participation would remain voluntary for individual countries.
He noted that Hungary and Slovakia had previously stayed outside an EU loan mechanism for Ukraine and said decisions on the NATO-related support initiative would also remain sovereign choices for each member state.
During his remarks, Magyar also addressed domestic political developments, saying he was pleased that Hungary’s public broadcaster had likely achieved record viewership following its symbolic relaunch at 19:56 on Tuesday evening, 70 years after the 1956 revolution, with screenings of the films The Witness and Age of Illusions.
‘We are living through historic times,’ Magyar said, encouraging viewers to follow the programming of what he described as a renewed, free and independent public broadcaster.
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