Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Saturday that Hungary is poised to ratify Sweden’s application to join NATO this month, removing the last hurdle for Stockholm’s bid.
In a national address, Orban stated, “The good news is that our current dispute with Sweden is moving towards a resolution.”
He highlighted the significant steps taken in collaboration with the Swedish Prime Minister to rebuild trust between the two nations.
Orban added, “We are on course to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership at the start of the parliament’s spring session.”
The Hungarian parliament is scheduled to reconvene on February 26th. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom expressed hope earlier this week that Hungary would soon ratify Sweden’s NATO membership, clearing the final obstacle to its accession.
Billstrom reiterated that there would be no negotiations regarding the ratification, despite Orban’s call for discussions with his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson.
Although Hungary supports Stockholm in principle, it has delayed the ratification process for Sweden’s NATO membership, demanding an end to the “demonization” of the Hungarian government, which has faced accusations of authoritarian tendencies.
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Sweden, alongside Finland, applied for NATO membership in 2022, seeking to join the alliance.
Finland became the 31st member of the organization in 2023 after receiving ratification from all NATO members.
