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Speaking at the regular government briefing, Gergely Gulyás said that while no such request has been made by Donald Trump, the possibility could not be ruled out, according to a report by Telex.hu.
“If he were to ask, we would consider it,” Gulyás said, when asked whether Hungary would help the United States secure the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the government is not currently dealing with the issue, as no formal request has been submitted.
Hungary is a member of NATO, and Gulyás noted that any such request would need to be addressed within the alliance framework. He said it would be up to NATO’s secretary-general to respond on behalf of the alliance, rather than individual member states acting independently.
Despite this, Gulyás’ acknowledgment that Hungary would weigh a potential request became the focal point of political reactions.
Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, shared a video of the remarks on social media, arguing that the statement implied a readiness by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to involve Hungarian troops in a foreign conflict.
“This means Orbán would send Hungarian soldiers into a war if Donald Trump asked for it,” Magyar wrote.
The government has not announced any plans for military involvement in the Persian Gulf, and Gulyás reiterated that the cabinet is not addressing hypothetical scenarios at this stage.
The comments come as the ruling Fidesz party continues to campaign on maintaining peace and keeping Hungary out of international armed conflicts, making the issue of potential foreign military engagement politically sensitive.
Here are three alternative versions in AP style:
A similar political dispute emerged during the 2022 election campaign, when Péter Márki-Zay said Hungary would meet its NATO obligations in connection with the war in Ukraine, prompting the ruling Fidesz to portray his remarks as support for sending Hungarian troops into the conflict.
The exchange echoes a controversy from the 2022 campaign, when opposition candidate Péter Márki-Zay faced backlash after stating that Hungary would honor its NATO commitments regarding Ukraine, comments that Fidesz seized on to argue he would involve the country militarily.
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