Sweden wants Hungary to join NATO

Sweden hopes Hungary will soon approve NATO membership, removing the last obstacle to its membership, Foreign Minister Tobias Bilström said on Wednesday.

Hungary remains the last country to refuse approval of the Nordic country’s application to join the military alliance, which was launched after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“It is very important that Hungary completes the ratification process and a vote in the Hungarian parliament is necessary to achieve this,” Bilstrom told a news conference.

“With just a few weeks left until the Hungarian Parliament opens on February 26, we expect to achieve this goal by then,” Bilstrom added.

The Swedish minister reiterated that although Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson to “negotiate” Sweden’s accession to the EU, there will be no negotiations on ratification.

The Swedish minister added: “There is nothing to negotiate and if there is a visit it will not be a negotiation, as my prime minister has made clear.”

Budapest prolongs the process by asking Sweden to stop “slandering” the Hungarian government accused of turning to authoritarianism, despite supporting Stockholm in principle.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden announced its application to join NATO in May 2022, and Finland became the 31st member of the organization in April 2023.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – AFP)