Gulyás: If Trump requested military assistance, we would consider it

At Thursday’s government briefing, Gergely Gulyás was asked whether Hungary would provide military assistance to the United States in its efforts to free the Strait of Hormuz if Donald Trump were to request it. According to the Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, Donald Trump has not yet made such a request, but he said, “if he were to ask, we would consider it,” though for now, the government is not discussing the issue.

Hungary is a member of NATO, and the US President has already requested assistance from the alliance; however, according to Gulyás, this is a matter for the NATO Secretary General to address. The government does not discuss “hypothetical requests” that have not yet been put forward, Gulyás said regarding potential assistance to the US President.

According to Gulyás, countries with naval fleets would be in a position to contribute to securing the Strait of Hormuz, which means that the Hungarian armed forces are not an option in this regard. The minister stated that if “the question of military participation is raised within NATO, Hungary will state its position on this matter.”

Péter Magyar, chairman of the Tisza Party, also shared Gulyás’s statement on this topic on his Facebook page. He wrote the following when commenting on the video: “At today's government briefing, Gergely Gulyás said that if the U.S. president asks, they will consider helping America in the war against Iran. In plain language, this means that Orbán would send Hungarian soldiers to war if Donald Trump asked him to.”

The Hungarian government has not condemned the war against Iran launched by the United States and Israel. Speaking about Trump in an interview on Wednesday, the Hungarian Prime Minister said: “The question is whether he actually started a war or peace. That has not been decided yet; it will be up to historians to determine that.”

Several European NATO countries have stated that they do not wish to provide military assistance for the war of Israel and the United States. Poland, Spain, and Finland are among those who have taken this position.