Hungary’s Parliament Finally Votes To Approve Swedish NATO Membership
Hungary’s parliament voted to approve Sweden’s membership of NATO on Monday, ending the country’s status as the sole member of NATO yet to approve Sweden’s application to join the alliance.
Only six of the 194 Hungarian lawmakers present voted against Swedish membership. Hungary is the last NATO member to ratify Sweden’s application to join the alliance, and is now expected to formally deliver the document officially ratifying Swedish membership to the United States in the coming days.
Sweden’s final steps to officially becoming NATO’s 32nd and newest member will be a formal invitation to join from Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, followed by the deposition of Sweden’s instrument of accession with the United States’ State Department.
In a brief post on X, Stoltenberg said that he welcomed the Hungarian parliament’s vote to ratify Swedish membership: “Sweden’s membership will make us all stronger and safer.”
The office of Swedish prime Minister Ulf Krisstersson said that the vote made it a “historic” day – “Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security”.
Viktor Orban’s government had long delayed holding a vote to ratify Sweden’s membership, over what he claims are Swedish accusations of erosion of the rule of law since he first became Prime Minister in 2010. However, he stated last week that he would be holding a vote after a visit from Kristersson was announced.
Following a meeting between the two Prime Ministers last Friday, it was announced that Hungary would be purchasing an additional four Swedish-built Saab Gripen C fighter aircraft alongside the extension of support services for its current Gripens, with Saab also to invest in the development of Hungarian fighter aircraft capabilities and other research efforts.
Sweden had applied to join NATO alongside Finland in June 2022, with both countries opting to depart their previous official stances of neutrality following the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland officially became a NATO member in April 2023, while Hungary and Turkey stalled Sweden’s accession process until earlier this year due to the consensus format required for a new NATO member to be admitted.