Hungary has become a founding member of the newly announced Peace Council, an initiative launched by US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán described the move as a strategic decision amid growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
In a public statement, Orbán said Hungary needs peace in order to develop. Wars, he argued, undermine progress made over the past decade and a half and bring inflation, sanctions, soaring energy prices and economic decline. Budapest, he added, therefore supports international initiatives aimed at preventing conflicts and safeguarding long-term stability.
The Peace Council was formally established through the signing of a charter during the World Economic Forum. Around 60 countries are reported to have been invited, though the final list of participants has not yet been confirmed. Among those invited are Russia, China, the European Commission, Poland and Australia, while several European states, including France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden and Slovenia, have declined to participate.
Trump has suggested that the council could eventually assume some functions of the United Nations, particularly in the field of conflict prevention and international security. The proposal has sparked debate over the council’s future role, legitimacy and relationship with existing multilateral institutions.
For Orbán, joining the Peace Council also carries political symbolism. He has long criticized sanctions regimes and called for negotiated settlements to ongoing conflicts. Hungary’s participation aligns with his broader foreign-policy approach, which emphasizes national sovereignty, economic pragmatism and the avoidance of prolonged wars that, in his view, harm ordinary citizens more than political elites.