The Hungarian Parliament approved Sweden’s request to join NATO, and the United States welcomed the decision

The Hungarian Parliament voted to ratify Sweden’s application for NATO membershipending more than 18 months of delays that frustrated the alliance as it sought to expand in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“We certainly welcome the vote today in the Hungarian Parliament and we hope that (the formal process) will be concluded,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a news conference.

The vote, which passed by 188 votes in favor, was the culmination of months of struggle by Hungary’s allies to convince the Nationalist government to lift the block on Sweden’s membership. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has presented the protocols to approve Sweden’s entry into NATO in July 2022, but the issue had stalled in Parliament due to opposition from ruling party lawmakers.

Hungary’s decision to approve Stockholm’s membership paved the way for the second expansion of NATO’s ranks in a year. after both Sweden and Finland applied to join the alliance in May 2022 tfollowing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an attack supposedly intended to prevent further NATO expansion.

Admitting new countries requires the unanimous support of all NATO members Hungary is the last of the alliance’s 31 members to lend its support since Turkey ratified the request last month.

“Historic day”

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said it was a “historic day”.

“We are ready to take on our share of responsibility for NATO security,” Kristersson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Orbán, a right-wing populist who has forged close ties with Russia, said criticism of Hungarian democracy by Swedish politicians Relations between the two countries have worsened and caused reluctance among lawmakers from his Fidesz party.

But Orbán addressed MPs before the vote: “Military cooperation between Sweden and Hungary and Sweden’s membership in NATO strengthen Hungary’s security.”

Orbán has criticized Hungary’s allies in the European Union and NATO for pressuring his government in recent months to proceed with Sweden’s membership of the alliance.

“Many people tried to intervene from the outside in resolving our disputes (with Sweden), but this did not help, rather rather hindered the issue,” Orbán said. “Hungary is a sovereign country. She does not tolerate others dictating to him, whether it is the content of his decisions or her timing.

Last weekend, a bipartisan group of US senators visited Hungary and announced they would present a joint resolution to Congress condemning Hungary’s alleged democratic backsliding and urge the Orbán government to immediately lift the block on Sweden’s integration into NATO.

Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson met Orbán last week in the Hungarian capital, where he appeared to have reached a decisive reconciliation after months of diplomatic tensions.