Hungary finally approves Sweden’s NATO membership bid

The parliament of Hungary finally approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid, paving the way for enlargement of the military bloc.

The parliament approved the bid with 188 votes for and six votes against the Nordic nation’s accession.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Monday it was a “historic day,” after Hungary’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO bid.

“Today is a historic day. The parliaments of all NATO member states have now voted in favour of Swedish accession to NATO. Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security,” Kristersson said in a statement to X.

Hours before the Hungarian parliament voted on Sweden’s accession to NATO, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pledged his support for the Scandinavian country to join the alliance.

“Today we… will support Sweden’s accession to NATO,” he said.

At the same time, Orbán emphasized that he saw “no military solution” to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but only a negotiated end to the war.

Hungary was the last NATO holdout as Swedish admission to the alliance has been approved by all other members. Unanimous approval from the group, currently numbering 31 countries, is required for a new member to gain access.

Orbán emphasized that it was important to resolve bilateral disputes before ratifying Sweden’s accession to NATO. This had been done “in a dignified manner” by the visit of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last Friday.

External attempts to intervene in these disputes had not been helpful. Hungary is a sovereign state and does not tolerate outside interference, he said.