Orbán at Board of Peace meeting: Our participation not merely a matter of principle, but also of our own security interests

"Our participation is not merely a matter of principle, but also of our own security interests," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace led by Donald Trump in Washington, after expressing his appreciation to Trump for his “tireless efforts for peace.”

The head of the Hungarian government was one of the representatives of the invited founding and observer countries who gave a short speech. He pointed out that the Board of Peace is of great importance to his government and that among the founding members, Hungary is represented at the highest level among the EU member states. (The Romanian president was also present, but Romania is not a founding member.)

“I come from a country in whose neighbourhood there has been a widespread war raging for four years,” he said, referring to the Russian-Ukrainian war. He also took the opportunity to reiterate a point that Trump himself has often made in relation to the Russian-Ukrainian war: “We all know that this war would not have broken out if Trump had been president at the time.”

In his opinion, Trump's return to the White House "has not only given peace a chance in Gaza, but in Ukraine as well. Orbán pointed out that there is much debate in Europe surrounding the creation of the Board of Peace. At the same time, he believes that international organizations have failed to ensure stability in recent decades. "This is why new initiatives are needed. Trump's initiative with the Board of Peace is a step in the right direction."

Orbán’s speech followed Trump's strongly supportive words towards him. In his opening speech, the US president made a special mention of him, noting that he does not usually introduce anyone unless he likes them. He first mentioned this in relation to the Argentine president, Javier Milei, but then immediately went on to single out Orbán too.

“Orbán has done a great job on migration. I want you to know that you have my full support in the elections,” he told the Hungarian Prime Minister.

The Hungarian PM already indicated at the beginning of the week, during Marco Rubio's visit to Budapest that he would travel to Washington for the inaugural meeting. In fact, it was only a question of timing, not participation, given that the Hungarian PM had already attended the event in Davos during the World Economic Forum that made the establishment of the Board of Peace official, thus making Hungary a founding member of the organization, whose primary task is to initiate a settlement and reconstruction in accordance with the Gaza peace plan. However, Trump hopes that the Board of Peace, established based on a UN Security Council resolution, will take on a broader role and will operate in the longer term, and even become an alternative to the UN.

That said, it is partly because of this ambition that the most influential NATO and EU member states, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, are staying away from the organization for the time being.