With Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership completed, Hungary remains the only country delaying Sweden’s entry into the military alliance. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson accepted an invitation from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to meet in Budapest to discuss the ratification process. Kristersson expressed his hope that the completion of the process would strengthen relations between the two countries and build mutual trust. He also mentioned the opportunity to further discuss the matter at the European Council meeting in Brussels on February 1.
After Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership, Kristersson expressed optimism about Sweden’s readiness to join the alliance. Orban also voiced support for Sweden’s membership and indicated that he would urge Hungarian lawmakers to approve the accession quickly.
However, Hungary’s parliamentary speaker, Laszlo Kover, expressed a lack of urgency in backing Sweden’s NATO membership bid. He stated that he did not see it as an extraordinary situation and did not feel a sense of urgency.
The inclusion of Finland as the 31st NATO member in April strengthened the alliance’s defense border with Russia and bolstered the defenses of the Baltic countries. Both Sweden and Finland have a history of military non-alignment, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a shift in their policies. Despite this, both Orban and Erdogan maintain relatively friendly relations with Russia.