Hungary Finally Allows Sweden in From the Cold

Consequently, the presidents of the European Commission, Council and Parliament issued their own statement on Feb. 23, alongside a separate statement issued by the Hungarian government addressing the conflict.

In his own separate statement, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian cause and shame over the government’s perceived lack of support at a demonstration marking the anniversary of the conflict, held near the Russian embassy in central Budapest on Feb. 24.

“We are here today to stand with the courageous Ukrainian people and send the message to the world that although we may have a worthless government, we are not a worthless nation,” Karácsony said. “Budapest knows what it is like when Russian tanks roll along its streets. Budapest knows how hard it is to stand up for freedom.”

Meanwhile, the Hungarian Parliament finally ratified Sweden’s accession to NATO during the opening of its spring session on Feb. 26. The Promulgation of the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of the Kingdom of Sweden, as the bill is formally titled received 188 votes for and six votes against, with no abstentions.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden broke with its long-held precedent of neutrality and applied to join NATO, alongside Finland, on May 18, 2022. While the latter’s bid had been approved much earlier, NATO member states Hungary and Turkey had been reluctant to accept Sweden in a process that requires unanimity.

Although Hungary had repeatedly assured Sweden it would not be the last to approve the Nordic country’s bid, it failed to honor this when Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s accession to NATO in January.

Fidesz Boycott

Thereafter, opposition members of Parliament called an extraordinary meeting to ratify Sweden’s NATO bid on Feb. 5, but lawmakers from the ruling Fidesz party boycotted the session, insisting that Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson must visit Budapest before they would grant approval.

At the invitation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Kristersson ultimately came to Budapest on Feb. 23, during which Hungary and Sweden signed an arms deal, as part of which, Sweden will provide Hungary with an additional four Gripen fighter jets, bringing its fleet to 18 aircraft.

The countries also extended a contract on logistics services for military systems and broadened it to include training. Under another agreement, Saab and Hungary’s Defense Research Institute will open a center of excellence focusing on artificial intelligence.

Following the ratification by Parliament, Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Sándor Lezsák signed off on the ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession and forwarded the legislation to the president’s office for promulgation, according to voting records on parliament’s website accessed on March 2. Hungary’s newly elected President Tamás Sulyok, who MPs voted in on the same day the NATO bill was passed, subsequently signed the legislation on March 5, the first day of his term. The remaining formalities, such as depositing accession documentation in Washington, will likely be concluded swiftly, allowing Sweden to become the 32nd member of the alliance.

“It is tremendously important, and hopefully, we will now become members, and it will not be a matter of weeks but a matter of days,” Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said at a press conference in Stockholm. “It will be good for Sweden, and it will be good for NATO. It will be good for stability in the entire Euro-Atlantic area that Sweden can become a full-fledged member of NATO.”

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of March 8, 2024.