NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Hungary’s contribution to the alliance’s defence and deterrence capabilities during talks with Prime Minister Péter Magyar in Brussels on Thursday, according to a statement released by NATO.

The meeting focused on preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara scheduled for 7–8 July, as well as Hungary’s role within the military alliance amid ongoing international tensions.

According to NATO’s press release, Rutte highlighted Hungary’s leadership role in one of the alliance’s forward land forces, including the Multinational Division Centre Headquarters in Székesfehérvár. The Secretary General also commended Hungary’s contribution to security in the Western Balkans through its significant participation in NATO’s Kosovo peacekeeping mission, KFOR.

During the talks, the leaders discussed the alliance’s priorities ahead of the Ankara summit. Rutte stressed that NATO allies would focus on turning the commitments made at last year’s Hague summit into concrete results by increasing defence investments, boosting defence production and maintaining support for Ukraine.

The NATO chief said these efforts would help create a stronger alliance and contribute to greater security for all member states.

Following the meeting, Prime Minister Magyar said in a Facebook post that Hungary would once again become “a reliable partner” of the world’s strongest military-defence alliance.

Magyar said he and Rutte agreed that Hungarian soldiers were performing exceptionally well within the KFOR mission in Kosovo. He also reiterated that Hungary would not send weapons or combat equipment to the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Hungarian prime minister added that Rutte briefed him on preparations for the Ankara NATO summit and on the international conflict developing around the Strait of Hormuz.

Brussels negotiations continue over frozen EU funds

Meanwhile, Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy announced that he had arrived in Brussels alongside Prime Minister Magyar, Finance Minister András Kármán and Foreign Minister Anita Orbán to continue negotiations with European Commission leaders on unlocking Hungary’s frozen EU funds.

According to Vitézy, several thousand billion forints in EU funding remain suspended because of what he described as systemic corruption under the previous government.

He said securing the funds was essential for restarting the Hungarian economy, modernising infrastructure and launching a new era of railway development after years of decline in the sector.

Vitézy added that the Hungarian delegation had been working “day and night” ahead of Friday’s planned meeting between Prime Minister Magyar and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in hopes of making meaningful progress on releasing the funds.

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Belgium’s “most famous cat” joins the diplomatic programme

Before his NATO talks, Magyar also met Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever during what he described as a “useful and forward-looking” discussion in Brussels.

However, one unexpected participant quickly stole the spotlight: Maximus Textoris Pulcher, the Belgian prime minister’s cat, often referred to in local media as Belgium’s most famous feline.

Magyar shared a video of the encounter on Facebook, showing the cat greeting the Hungarian delegation. In the footage, De Wever jokes that Maximus was “a little overwhelmed by all the people”.

Vitézy also posted about the meeting, saying the delegation had been welcomed by the “country’s most popular cat” during its afternoon siesta.