Hungary's Government Makes Huge Efforts to Spend 2.1 Percent of GDP on Defense

"Increasing defense spending to five percent of GDP would be a shot in the lungs for Hungary's economy," Viktor Orban said at his international press conference in response to news reports that US President-elect Donald Trump expects NATO member states to increase their defense spending. The Hungarian cabinet has already spent beyond its strength on the development of the Hungarian Defense Forces in order to reach the level required by NATO, launching a larger-than-ever military development in Hungary. According to the Financial Times, US President-elect Donald Trump expects NATO member states to increase their defense spending to five percent of their GDP. The question was also raised at Viktor Orban's international press conference last Saturday, where, in response to a question from an AP reporter, the prime minister said that the Hungarians are a peace-loving nation interested in disarmament for this reason alone, and that it would be good if we did not have to pay two percent of GDP, because we have sweated blood, but we have squeezed it out of ourselves so far. "But the world is not going in that direction, and if the current rate has to be raised, it will shoot the Hungarian economy in the lungs and bring us down, that would be half a war economy then, PM Orban said.