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Milei closes CPAC in Budapest: "We reduced poverty from 57% to 30%"

The Argentine president starred in a historic day in Hungary: he was the first national leader to visit the European country, met privately with Viktor Orbán, received an honorary university degree and closed the most important Conservative Political Action Conference of the year with a fiery speech.

🏰 A historic visit: the first Argentine president in Hungary

Budapest, March 21, 2026. President Javier Milei landed in the Hungarian capital on Friday afternoon to star, in less than 24 hours, in one of the most symbolic foreign policy days of his administration. He thus became the first Argentine president to officially visit Hungary, sealing an ideological and strategic link with one of the most influential leaders of the new global right.

The day began with the honors of state protocol: Milei was received with a red carpet and trumpets at the Sándor Palace, the official residence of the president of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok. As a gift, he received a small sculpture of Herend porcelain – one of the oldest artisan brands in Europe, with more than two centuries of royal manufacturing tradition – in a gesture that the Hungarian hosts reserve for visits of high protocol value.

🤝 The one-on-one with Orbán at the Carmelite Monastery

The moment of greatest diplomatic density came at 12:10 local time (08:10 in Argentina), when Milei was received by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the Carmelite Monastery of Buda, the seat of the Hungarian government. The meeting had two instances: a formal meeting between the entire delegations, and a one-on-one conversation between the two leaders, accompanied only by their interpreters. A format that Orbán reserves for his closest allies.

While the presidents were talking, the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno held a parallel meeting with the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó. At that table, the Argentine official pointed out that progress was made in the expansion of the trade link and that Argentina is presented as "a reliable partner, with a wide exportable supply of food and attractive conditions for investment."

The harmony between the two leaders is not new. Orbán was one of the few international authorities who attended Milei's inauguration ceremony on December 10, 2023, and at the opening of this edition of CPAC he described him as "a world star of Western values". Analysts interpret the alliance as the articulation of a transatlantic conservative axis that links Argentine economic deregulation with Hungarian sovereignty nationalism.

🎤 The closing speech: figures, geopolitics and controversy

At 4:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. in Argentina), Milei took the center stage of the MTK Sports Centre in Budapest to deliver the closing speech of CPAC Hungary 2026, in front of hundreds of leaders, intellectuals and conservative leaders from around the world. It was presented by the director of the Hungarian chapter, Miklós Szanthó, in an event that the Casa Rosada broadcast live with an epic soundtrack.

In his speech, the president reviewed the economic achievements of his administration: he highlighted having made a fiscal adjustment of about 15 points of GDP in just six months, and affirmed that he had "returned to Argentines close to 90 billion dollars." His central figure was the reduction of poverty: from 57% – a legacy he attributed to the previous government – to the current 30%, which is equivalent to lifting more than 15 million people out of that condition.

📊 Key indicators of the presidential speech

🌶️ The most controversial definitions

The speech also included statements of strong diplomatic impact. Milei took up the qualification of Santiago Abascal – leader of the Spanish Vox party – who called the president of the Spanish government Pedro Sánchez a "pigeon of a tyrant", and signed it before the international audience. In addition, he questioned the European "nanny state model" and criticised the subjection of states to "the unilateral opinions of supranational bodies".

In the chapter on regional geopolitics, Milei celebrated the expectation of an intervention by Donald Trump in Cuba and predicted that the island will be "free" before mid-2026, comparing the process to a Latin American "perestroika". He also highlighted Orbán's migration policy, anticipating that he would cite it as a model in his speech.

🎓 Honorary degree at Ludovika University

Before returning at 7:00 p.m. local time, Milei received the "Civis Universitatis Honoris Causa" distinction from the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the European country. The ceremony was presided over by the rector Gergely Deli and recognized the Argentine president for his "values and significant contributions to society, politics and academia."

The award adds to a collection of international recognitions that the libertarian leader has accumulated throughout his administration, in a pattern that reflects the consolidation of his image as an intellectual figure of the global conservative movement, beyond his role as head of state of an emerging country.

✈️ Context: express tour and convulsed local agenda

The visit to Budapest is Milei's fourth international stop in the same week, which previously took him to the United States, Spain and Chile, configuring one of the most intense foreign agendas of any Argentine president in the recent era. The third consecutive weekend outside the country consolidates its strategy of insertion into global conservative networks, at a time when the domestic agenda presents open fronts: the $LIBRA case, the questioned activities of Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni and the anniversary of the coup of March 24.

Once the agenda in Hungary was completed, the ARG 01 took off from Budapest at 20:30 local time (16:30 in Argentina). Its arrival at Ezeiza International Airport is scheduled for Sunday, March 22 at 09:00. A week of high political voltage awaits him, with the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the coup d'état of March 24, 1976, which will concentrate marches and mobilizations throughout the country.

🔍 KEYWORDS & SEO

Javier Milei CPAC Budapest 2026 • Milei Viktor Orbán Hungary • CPAC Hungary 2026 • foreign policy Argentina • new global right • Milei poverty 30% • Conservative Political Action Conference • Milei Ludovika honorary title • Argentina international conservatism • Milei speech economy freedom

🕐 Timeline of the day in Budapest

✍️ Journalistic writing based on verified sources: Infobae, La Nación, El Cronista, La Posta Diario, Dataclave, Canal 26, Hungarian Conservative.

📌 Note: The poverty figures and economic indicators are statements by President Milei. Some data differ from independent measurements and international statistical bodies.

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