Stoltenberg and Swedish PM Awaiting Hungary’s Decision

Sweden’s prime minister remains hesitant to visit Budapest until after the ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession by the Hungarian Parliament. His stance was reinforced by Jen Stoltenberg’s recent statement, in which NATO’s Secretary General emphasized his conviction that Budapest will approve the Scandinavian country’s accession in February.

Stockholm, 2023. október 24. Ulf Kristersson svéd miniszterelnök (b) és Jens Stoltenberg NATO-főtitkár stockholmi sajtóértekezlete 2023. október 24-én. MTI/EPA/TT Hírügynökség/Jonas Ekstromer Fotó: Jonas Ekstromer

Answering a question at Wednesday’s meeting of the North Atlantic Council, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated his hope that the Hungarian parliament will soon ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO. He recalled that he had recently spoken to PM Viktor Orban, who made clear his strong support for Sweden's membership in the alliance, and that this could happen during the spring parliamentary session starting in February.

He emphasized that the ratification, even in these circumstances, is a relatively swift process, describing the events unfolding since February 2022 as one of the fastest accession processes in NATO history.

Finland and Sweden applied in May 2022. Both were invited in July, and Finland became a full NATO member in April 2023. „I expect Sweden to become a member soon. This shows that NATO is not only getting stronger, but also bigger: Finland is already a member and Sweden will join soon,” NATO’s Secretary General concluded.

PM Kristersson rejects Hungary–Sweden talks on NATO membership

Meanwhile, Sweden’s prime minister has refused to visit Budapest, at least before the ratification of his country’s NATO bid. As is known, PM Orban has invited PM Ulf Kristersson to Budapest, who repeatedly signaled that although there are several issues worth discussing with his Hungarian counterpart, there are no open questions regarding Sweden’s NATO membership.

It was clear from his statements, however, that the soon-to-expire lease on Swedish Gripen fighter aircraft could be used as a form of pressure towards Hungary.

During Monday’s extraordinary session in parliament, Ruling party MPs refused to vote on Sweden’s accession. Later, Fidesz group leader Mate Kocsis confirmed on his social media that the ratification of Sweden's NATO accession could take place at the beginning of the regular parliamentary session. He added, however, that this would require a meeting between the two prime ministers in Budapest.

If accession is important to the Swedes, they will come here, just as they did in the case of Turkey,

– the group leader wrote at the time. 

The lack of parliament’s vote and the Fidesz group leader’s remarks have done little to changed PM Kristersson’s position. At a press briefing on Wednesday, he emphasized that such a visit was not topical before the ratification, although he acknowledged that there were issues worthy of discussion afterwards. In his usual, somewhat condescending tone, he stressed that they were already looking for a suitable time, adding that „sometimes it takes time to find a common date in the calendar”. 

Washington prepares to take action against Hungary

Meanwhile, Swedish media reports highlight that pressure from America is mounting on Hungary. According to a correspondent of Sweden’s public broadcaster (SVT), the US has run out of patience. He reporter quoted Senator Ben Cardin’s words from February 1, who said the Biden administration should review whether Hungary is still a reliable partner and whether it should be granted visa-free travel. He also called for sanctions against Hungary under the Magnitvsky Act, citing large-scale corruption as a fact. 

He also mentioned how both the Senate and the Congress were considering action against Hungary if the country refuses to ratify Sweden's bid. He cited Democrats Joe Wilson and Steve Cohen, who emphasized on Wednesday they were ready to take steps against Hungary.

The reporter asks what’s behind this increasingly tough tone against Hungary, to which he gets an immediate reply: it is Ambassador David Pressman who’s riled up the Democrats during his visit to Washington in January.

Cover photo: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (left) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Photo: MTI/EPA/TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer)