Hungary’s Magyar vows ‘reliable’ NATO role but won’t arm Ukraine

NATO Chief Rutte Meets Hungarian PM Magyar in Brussels Ahead of Ankara Summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar in Brussels on Thursday to discuss preparations for the alliance’s upcoming summit in Ankara, as Budapest seeks to rebuild its standing within the transatlantic alliance while maintaining its refusal to arm Ukraine.

Hungary Pledges to Be a ‘Reliable Partner’

Magyar, who took office earlier this year after his TISZA Party ousted Viktor Orbán’s long-ruling Fidesz government, said on his Facebook page that the meeting was focused on Hungary resuming a constructive role within NATO. “We agreed with Secretary General Mark Rutte that Hungarian defenders are doing an excellent job as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo,” Magyar wrote. He added that Hungary would “once again become a reliable partner of the world’s most powerful military-defense alliance”.nato

The pledge reflects a broader effort by Magyar to reset Hungary’s relationships with Western institutions. His Brussels visit also includes meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aimed at unlocking roughly €10 billion in frozen EU recovery funds that Budapest risks losing if conditions are not met by late August.euronews

Red Lines on Ukraine Remain

Despite the diplomatic reset, Magyar made clear that some of Budapest’s positions remain unchanged. “I told the Secretary General that Hungary will not send weapons or military equipment to the Russian-Ukrainian war,” he said. Hungary under Orbán had consistently refused to supply arms to Kyiv or participate in NATO’s coordinated Ukraine aid programs, and the new government has maintained that stance.unn

Rutte briefed Magyar on preparations for the NATO summit scheduled for July 7–8 at Turkey’s Beştepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, as well as the international tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. The summit is expected to address defense spending targets, with several allies now pushing toward a 5% of GDP benchmark, and the question of sustained military support for Ukraine.ieu-monitoring

NATO’s Top Commander Visits Budapest

The Rutte-Magyar meeting coincided with a visit to Budapest by General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and head of U.S. European Command. Grynkewich, who assumed the dual command in mid-2025, has been making a series of stops across allied capitals as NATO finalizes new defense plans, including a rewrite of the alliance’s integrated air and missile defense strategy — the first such overhaul in decades.wikipedia

The parallel engagements underscore the alliance’s effort to bring Hungary more firmly into the fold ahead of the Ankara summit, even as Budapest continues to carve out exceptions on Ukraine.