Hungary Set to Ratify Sweden's NATO Membership This Month, Orban Says
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced that the country's parliament will ratify Sweden's NATO membership this month.
The move would make Hungary the final NATO member state to approve Sweden's entry into the alliance.
"The positive news is that our current dispute with Sweden is nearing resolution," Orban declared in a state-of-the-nation address. "We have taken important steps with the Swedish Prime Minister to rebuild trust. Hungary will ratify Sweden's NATO accession at the beginning of the spring parliamentary session."
The upcoming Hungarian parliamentary session begins on February 26th.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom recently expressed hope that Hungary would ratify Sweden's membership at the start of the session. Billstrom stressed that there have been no negotiations between the two countries on the matter, responding to Orban's earlier invitation for Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to visit Hungary for talks on the accession.
Sweden and Finland jointly applied to join NATO in May 2022, prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland became the 31st member of the alliance in April 2023.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
