NATO calls on Hungary to give green light to Sweden

The US and NATO have just untied the “most difficult” knot to admit Sweden into NATO after the Turkish President approved it on January 25. Immediately after this move, Türkiye also received good news from the US State Department, that this agency has approved the contract to sell F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, with a value of up to 23 billion USD.

However, not all the knots have been untied. For Sweden to become the 32nd member of NATO, it still needs a final vote from Hungary. Over the past two days, this country has been continuously "called" by the US and NATO.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a press conference in Stockholm in March 2023. (Photo: Reuters)

“I want to take a moment to welcome Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership application this week,” White House spokesman John Kirby said. “As we know, the Turkish parliament voted to approve the terms and ratify the decision.

President Erdogan has also signed those documents and we hope that the ratification documents will be delivered to us soon to be deposited at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in accordance with the procedure.

We also urge Hungary to move forward with its process so that the alliance can welcome Sweden into NATO without further delay. We are optimistic that Sweden will soon become NATO’s newest member.”

Earlier the same day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed hope that the Hungarian Parliament would ratify the protocol to admit Sweden into the military alliance when it meets again at the end of February.

“I spoke to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban earlier this week. He made it very clear that he supports Sweden joining NATO and also made it clear that parliament will consider the issue as soon as it convenes.

The message is that the Hungarian parliament will then support ratification of Sweden's membership. I have full confidence in Hungary when parliament reconvenes at the end of February,” said Secretary General Stoltenberg.

Meanwhile, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has offered to meet his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban in Belgium next week, on the sidelines of the European Council meeting, to discuss the issue further.

The Swedish prime minister said his country would not make any new promises to NATO, including to Hungary. But he said Sweden and Hungary had many things to discuss, including cooperation within NATO, Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency, support for Ukraine and how to get the most out of the Swedish air force.

According to political expert Zoltan Pogatsa, Hungary's "delay" in approving Sweden's NATO membership is demonstrating the importance of a vote from a member - which has repeatedly been criticized by the West on issues of democracy, rule of law or corruption.

In fact, the Hungarian government has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the "unwarranted" statements from Sweden, claiming that they undermine Hungary's democracy.

Additionally, Hungary is of the view that the conflict in Ukraine does not pose any security threat to Sweden – one of the reasons it gave for joining NATO.

However, the Hungarian Prime Minister recently invited his Swedish counterpart to visit the country, expressing his goodwill in supporting Sweden's entry into NATO "in the near future".

Nam Temple (VOV1)

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