Hungary Finally Approves Sweden's NATO Membership

Hungary's parliament approved Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Monday, removing the last obstacle for this Northern European country to achieve historic membership in the military alliance. Sweden's NATO membership comes during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, marking a departure from its historical neutrality during both World Wars and the Cold War. According to Reuters, the Hungarian parliament's vote followed a visit by the Swedish Prime Minister on Friday, during which the two countries signed an arms agreement, ending months of delays for Sweden's membership. 188 lawmakers in Hungary's parliament approved Sweden's NATO membership, while 6 opposed it. The government of Viktor Orbán, Hungary's Prime Minister, had been under pressure from NATO allies to approve Sweden's membership. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Stockholm abandoned its policy of non-alignment and sought NATO membership for greater security. Western leaders have stated that with Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively achieved what he sought to prevent at the start of his war in Ukraine: NATO expansion. While Finland joined NATO last year, Sweden's membership was delayed for months due to objections from Turkey and Hungary, both of which have relatively better relations with Moscow compared to other NATO members. Turkey had previously withheld approval of Sweden's membership, demanding stricter action from Stockholm against members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara claims Sweden has become a haven for. Sweden then changed its laws and eased arms sales restrictions to appease Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also linked the approval of Sweden's membership to the U.S. agreeing to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, and Ankara now expects the White House to seek congressional approval. The nature of Hungary's retreat regarding Sweden's membership is not entirely clear. Budapest had expressed dissatisfaction more over Sweden's criticisms of the erosion of democracy in Hungary during Viktor Orbán's premiership. Orbán, who has refrained from sending weapons to neighboring Ukraine, has repeatedly criticized Western sanctions against Russia. On Monday, he once again called for a ceasefire in Ukraine, which seeks to reclaim its occupied territories. Sweden's joining NATO, having not been in a war since 1814, along with Finland's membership, marks the most significant NATO expansion since the military alliance led by the U.S. expanded into Eastern Europe in the 1990s.