The Hungarian Parliament ratified Sweden’s membership of NATO on Monday afternoon, removing the last major obstacle to its entry into the Alliance.
The Hungarian Parliament ratified Sweden’s membership of NATO on Monday, removing the last major obstacle to its entry into the Alliance.
It ends more than 18 months of delays that have frustrated the alliance as it seeks to expand in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The file was blocked in Parliament due to opposition from lawmakers from Viktor Orban’s party.
Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, who has forged close ties with Russia, said criticism of Hungarian democracy by Swedish politicians had deteriorated relations between the two countries and sparked reluctance among lawmakers in his Fidesz party.
The accession of new countries requires unanimous support from all NATO members, and Hungary was the only one of the 31 members of the Alliance that did not provide support, after Turkey’s ratification.
Hungary’s allies in NATO and the European Union have put increasing pressure on it in recent months to drop its opposition to Sweden’s membership.
