The 5th Danube Institute Geopolitical Summit is currently taking place in Budapest, Hungary. Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky of Hungary has delivered the keynote address, speaking about such crucial issues of the time as the Russo–Ukrainian war, the Israel–Hamas war, common European defence, and EU enlargement.
Global trade was in focus for the first panel discussion at Day 2 of the Danube Institute’s Geopolitical Summit. Whether or not these times are ‘the end of globalization’ sparked a fierce debate even among the distinguished speakers. The list of speakers featured Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia, Former Prime Minister and President Václav Klaus of the Czech Republic, Managing Director for the Janus Forum Darren Spinck, and more.
At the 5th Geopolitical Summit in Budapest, US Chargé d’Affaires Robert Palladino framed Hungary as central to the ‘renewal of Western civilization’, praising its defence of sovereignty and family. He argued that America and Hungary are allies not by convenience but conviction, united against chaos by shared civilizational values.
The rules-based international order is collapsing, warned panellists at Danube Institute’s 5th Geopolitical Summit, as the UN and EU drift into irrelevance or abuse of power. Speakers, including Zoltán Kovács, agreed that sovereignty lies with nations, not supranational bureaucracies, but cautioned that unchecked collapse could bring conflict instead of stability.
Hungary’s armed forces have gained a unique new capability with the arrival of Special Operations Craft–Riverine (SOC-R) boats in Budapest. Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky hailed the vessels as a major step in military modernization.
On the night of 8 August, the Baltic Air Defence Readiness Unit of the Hungarian Defence Forces was called on its their first live Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) scramble, after an unidentified aircraft not willing to engage in radio communications with air traffic control entered the intranational air space over the Baltic Sea. The aircraft was identified as Russian, and was successfully captured by Hungarian fighter jets.
Hungary has assumed command of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission for the fourth time, deploying four Gripen fighter jets to safeguard the skies over Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, reaffirming its role as a committed and reliable NATO ally.
Esztergom will once again host MCC Feszt, one of Hungary’s most prominent intellectual festivals, kicking off Thursday with a diverse mix of public debates, lectures, and concerts. Headliners include Peter Thiel, Sebastian Kurz, and Dominic Cummings, with nearly 50,000 visitors expected, according to MCC Director General Zoltán Szalai.
A united European army remains an illusion, argued Hungarian and regional experts at Tusványos. Citing historical, political, and structural obstacles, panellists instead urged member states to focus on NATO, develop national defence industries, and prepare for a shifting global security landscape.
The defeated coup attempt in 2016 changed Türkiye forever. One of the most significant legacies of 15 July is the vision of a terror-free country, which later took shape as a concrete initiative, already yielding results such as the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. A more secure Türkiye is not only favourable for the country itself, but also for Europe—and Hungary within it.