On Monday, Hungary’s parliament voted to ratify Sweden’s bid to join NATO, finalising the country’s membership after nearly a year of delay. Of the 194 members of parliament that voted, just six opposed Sweden’s accession.
Sweden and Finland applied to join the alliance in 2022 following Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, but their accession was delayed due to opposition from Turkey and Hungary.
Hungary’s parliament approved Sweden’s application to join NATO on Monday, paving the way for the Scandinavian country to become the alliance’s 32nd member. pic.twitter.com/qBt6G9fJqy
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 26, 2024
Sweden’s NATO Accession
Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson visited Budapest on Friday to discuss defence and security cooperation with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban. The two sides claimed to have reached an agreement, with Hungary acquiring four new Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets.
“Today is a historic day,” Kristersson wrote on X shortly after the vote. “Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security.” “Sweden is leaving 200 years of neutrality and military non-alignment behind,” he stated during a press conference. “We are joining NATO in order to defend what we are and everything we believe in even better. We are defending our freedom, our democracy and our values, together with others.”
Kristersson pointed out that Russia’s efforts to curb NATO expansion had backfired. “As for Russia, the only thing we can safely expect is that they do not like Sweden becoming a NATO member. They didn’t like Finland becoming a NATO member either,” he added.
“To be a member of NATO together with another country means we are ready to die for each other,” Orban stated. “A deal on defence and military capacities helps to reconstruct the trust between the two countries.”
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.
— SwedishPM (@SwedishPM) February 26, 2024
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Sweden would be joining the alliance now that all allies have approved its bid. “Now that all Allies have approved, Sweden will become the 32nd NATO Ally,” he said, adding, “Sweden’s membership will make us all stronger and safer.”
To admit new countries, all NATO members must agree unanimously, and Hungary is the last of the alliance’s 31 members to do so after Turkey ratified the request last month.
However, Orban slammed EU and NATO allies for increasing pressure on his government in recent months to move forward with bringing Sweden into the alliance. “Several people tried to intervene from the outside in the settling of our disputes [with Sweden], but this did not help but rather hampered the issue,” Orban said. “Hungary is a sovereign country. It does not tolerate being dictated by others, whether it be the content of its decisions or their timing.”
Turkey parliament ratifies Sweden's Nato membership https://t.co/NwMhTf2SJD
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 23, 2024
Finland, Sweden’s Accession to NATO
Finland and Sweden have been in a state of military non-alignment since the Soviet Union attempted to invade Finland during WWII, after which both decided to maintain friendly relations with Russia. However, Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022, following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Subsequently, NATO signed an accession treaty in July enabling Finland to join the alliance, and by the end of September, 28 countries had ratified it. Regardless, Turkey and Hungary did not ratify their admission until March 2023. Turkey blocked both bids because, despite repeated requests, Sweden and Finland refused to extradite Kurdish militants.
Eventually, Finland officially joined the North Atlantic Alliance as the 31st member on 4 April 2023 during an official ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels, effectively doubling the alliance’s land border with Russia. Last month, the Turkish parliament ratified Sweden’s acceptance after Stockholm tightened anti-terror legislation and pledged closer cooperation with Turkey on security issues.
Finland and Sweden, as NATO members, will be protected by Article 5 of the alliance’s fundamental treaty, which says that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Meanwhile, Ukraine had requested fast-track NATO membership on 30 September 2022, following Russia’s acquisition of four Ukrainian regions. However, as long as Moscow’s war against Ukraine continues, the country’s chances of joining the US-led security bloc appear to be low.