Raisina Dialogue 2025: Hungary's foreign minister says country was 'Trump before Trump'

Hungary has emerged as an outlier within the European Union (EU), whether it be about aid for Kyiv or its stance on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).

For Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjártó, who spoke to Firstpost on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue 2025, Brussels’ trajectory has been consistent and clear. He says Hungary was ‘Trump before Trump.’

This assertion is not just rhetoric; it is meant to highlight Hungary’s alignment with key aspects of Trump’s worldview– on migration, family values, and the role of Nato.

‘Trump before Trump’

For more than a decade, Hungary’s government has pursued policies that closely resemble the ideological stances that propelled Trump to the White House in 2016.

“If you look at the policies of the Hungarian government for the last 15 years now you see that basically we were Trump before Trump. We were always against illegal migration, we were always in favour of the families, we were always against the aggressive LGBT propaganda,” Szijjártó said.

He added that “in the last few years, for the period of the war, we have been in favour of peace. So…very similar to President Trump. That’s why we were happy that he won the elections in the US.”

These positions have often put Hungary at odds with mainstream EU leadership.

A standout approach to Nato

Hungary’s approach to international alliances like Nato has also been a cause of friction.

Within Nato, the Hungarian government has taken a pragmatic stance, opposing efforts to expand the alliance’s military footprint beyond its traditional defensive role.

Szijjártó warns against any attempt to involve Nato in conflicts outside its territory. “It [Nato] has not been created as an attack alliance. It has been created as a defence alliance…So any kind of attempt to drag Nato into a war outside of Nato’s territory is unacceptable for us.”

This echoes Trump’s long-standing view of keeping Ukraine out of Nato.

Strengthening India-Hungary relations

Speaking about the India-Hungary relationship, Szijjártó said, “We value our relationship with India pretty much because we understand the similarities among our leaders and among our governments.”

“So the Hungary-India relationship looks very, very promising. And of course, that determines a lot of our Indo-Pacific relationship as well, to which we attach a great significance. And so far, it has proven to be successful, I guess,” he said.