Orban Escalates Standoff Over Sweden’s Accession to NATO

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2كيلو بايت

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban escalated a standoff with Western allies over Sweden’s NATO accession after a senior US lawmaker called for potential sanctions against the lone holdout.

Orban’s lawmakers won’t allow a parliamentary vote on ratifying Sweden’s bid until the Nordic country’s leader visits Budapest to meet with his Hungarian counterpart, ATV television reported, citing the ruling Fidesz party. They’ll also boycott a special session the opposition called for Monday on the accession, ATV said on its website.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom declined to comment on the report. Fidesz’s parliamentary group didn’t respond to a phone call or email from Bloomberg.

Orban’s invitation for Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to visit Hungary was extended last month in what was seen as a face-saving step for the nationalist leader after he broke a pledge to ratify Sweden’s accession before Turkey.

Patience over Orban’s obstructionism is wearing thin both inside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. On Thursday, Orban finally dropped his opposition to a €50 billion ($54.4 billion) EU aid package for Ukraine after becoming the only of the bloc’s 27 leaders to veto it in December.

Hungary is the “least reliable” NATO member,” US Senator Ben Cardin, the Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement on Thursday. He urged the Biden administration to consider imposing sanctions on Hungary for corruption and also to weigh the possibility of scrapping its participation in a US visa-waiver program.

Kristersson met Orban on Thursday on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, but said he preferred to come to Budapest only after Hungary’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO bid.

He’s been keen to avoid any optics of negotiating with Orban over his country’s accession, after Sweden received an invitation last year to join the military alliance. Sweden’s membership is seen as crucial for bolstering NATO’s ability to defend its eastern flank nearly two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Orban has sought to attribute the delay to his own lawmakers, who he said have been hurt by Swedish criticism over the erosion of democracy in Hungary. In fact, Fidesz has a supermajority in the chamber and the party is tightly controlled by the prime minister.

Swedish Leader Says He’ll Meet Orban in Budapest After NATO Vote

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wants Hungary to approve his country’s NATO bid before accepting an invitation to meet Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest.

A polite rebuff reinforces the Nordic nation’s position that its accession to the military alliance isn’t up for negotiation.

The Hungarian leader has said the visit is needed to convince his ruling party lawmakers to back ratification. Hungary is the only country standing in the way of Sweden joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after Turkey ratified its bid last month.

“The most natural thing is to come to Budapest after the ratification,” Kristersson told reporters on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Brussels, where he met Orban on Thursday.

Sweden’s membership is seen as crucial for the defense alliance to improve its ability to defend an eastern flank that expanded following Finland’s admission last April. The two Nordic nations applied to join shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began almost two years ago.

Kristersson and Orban met after EU leaders convinced the Hungarian premier to drop his veto on €50 billion ($54 billion) aid package for Ukraine.

“There is nothing to negotiate about, but there are a lot of things to discuss,” including on cooperation on Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets that Hungary uses in its air force, Kristersson told reporters.

Orban made no demands in exchange for ratification of the Swedish bid to NATO, according to Kristersson. No date has yet been set for a meeting.

Orban’s invitation was seen in Hungary as a face-saving step for the leader, who had earlier pledged ratification before Turkey and who has struggled to explain his opposition to Sweden’s accession.

Hungary parliament to meet on Monday at opposition request with Sweden's NATO bid on agenda

General view as the Hungarian parliament starts debating the ratification of Finland and Sweden's NATO membership in Budapest.

Hungary's parliament will meet on Monday at the request of opposition parties with the ratification of Sweden's NATO bid expected to be on the agenda, a document on parliament's website showed on Thursday.

But it was not clear if ruling Fidesz party lawmakers, who hold a large majority in parliament, would attend the extraordinary meeting, meaning it would not be able to ratify Sweden's bid.

Hungary is the only NATO member that has not approved Sweden's application to join the alliance.

The press office of Fidesz was not immediately available for comment.

Sweden, along with Finland, applied to join the alliance in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But its membership was held up by Turkey and Hungary, leaving the country in limbo and frustrating NATO allies who see Sweden as a key player in ensuring security in the Baltic region.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden's accession documents in late January, leaving Hungary as the last hold-out.

Earlier on Thursday, Orban's chief of staff said Fidesz lawmakers wanted to see steps from Sweden to strengthen confidence before they can approve its NATO bid. He did not elaborate on what those steps were.

Parliament is scheduled to reconvene for a normal session after its winter break in late February.

US lawmakers want to pressure Hungary to back Swedish NATO accession

Senior U.S. lawmakers asked Hungary on Feb. 1 to "immediately approve" Sweden's NATO membership bid, warning of "permanent damage" to the relationship between Budapest and Washington, according to Reuters.

Sweden and Finland applied to join the alliance in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but accession was held up by objections from Turkey and Hungary. While Turkey formally ratified Sweden's NATO membership on Jan. 25, Hungary remains the only NATO member yet to approve Sweden's accession application.

Reuters said this has "frustrated NATO allies who see Sweden as an important country for Baltic security."

"I have deep concerns over the direction of Hungary's current government," said Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Ben Cardin, noting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's delay on EU aid for Ukraine and blocking of Sweden's NATO bid.

EU aid for Ukraine, known as the Ukraine Facility, worth 50 billion euro ($54 billion), was approved on Feb. 1, after Orban "begrudgingly signaled his willingness to drop his opposition to the aid package."

"Partners don't do these things. And I am questioning whether they are a trusted ally for our visa waiver program," Cardin said, referring to the visa program that enables most citizens of the participating 41 countries to travel to the U.S. for 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, a Democrat and a Republican, respectively, who co-chair the Senate's NATO Observer Group, issued a joint statement asserting that "Hungary's inaction risks irrevocably damaging its relationship with the United States and with NATO."

After Turkey's parliament voted to approve Sweden's accession to the alliance last week, Orban "reaffirmed" his government's support of Sweden's bid to join NATO after a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Orban said that he would "continue to urge" Hungary's parliament "to vote in favor of Sweden's accession and conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity."

The ratification process in the Hungarian parliament has not moved forward since then.

Hungary ratified Finland's accession to the alliance nine months after the original application but only after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara would support the bid.

US lawmakers call on Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán to immediately approve Sweden's NATO membership

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, right, talks to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. European Union leaders meet in Brussels for a one day summit to discuss the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, including support for Ukraine.

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers are urging Hungary to immediately ratify Sweden's application to join NATO, saying patience with the Central European country is “wearing thin” as it continues to delay its approval for the Nordic nation.

Hungary is the only country in the 31-nation military alliance that hasn't yet backed Sweden's membership bid, and frustration has mounted within NATO as Budapest has repeatedly pushed back a vote on ratification for more than a year.

In a joint statement released Thursday, U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, and Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, called on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to “advance Sweden’s accession protocols to NATO without further delay,” and said continuing to hold up the process would harm Budapest's relations with its allies.

“Despite its numerous prior public commitments, Hungary is the last remaining NATO member to have not ratified Sweden’s bid and both time and patience are wearing thin. Hungary’s inaction risks irrevocably damaging its relationship with the United States and with NATO,” the senators wrote.

Orbán, a staunch nationalist that has led Hungary since 2010, has long promised that his country wouldn't be the last NATO member to approve Sweden's application. But as Turkey's parliament voted to back Stockholm's bid in January, attention has shifted to Budapest as NATO members seek to expand the alliance amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A vote on the protocols for Sweden’s NATO accession hasn’t yet appeared on the Hungarian parliament’s agenda, and the matter is unlikely to go before lawmakers until at least late February when the parliament reconvenes.

In a separate statement, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raised the prospect of imposing sanctions on Hungary for its conduct, and called Orbán “the least reliable member of NATO.”

Cardin said that the Biden administration should examine whether Hungary should continue to participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows passport holders from 41 countries to enter the United States for business or tourism without a visa for up to 90 days.

He also said that “given the level of corruption” in Hungary, the U.S. should examine initiating sanctions against Hungarians under the Global Magnitsky Act, a program that allows Washington to sanction foreign individuals for human rights and corruption violations.

Cardin said he was “grateful” that the European Union on Thursday approved a 50-billion euro ($54 billion) aid package to Ukraine, but noted that it had only done so by overcoming a veto by Orbán that had threatened to derail the funding.

Orbán had opposed financing the aid through the EU's common budget, but ultimately consented to the measure under pressure from othe leaders in the 27-nation bloc.

Speaking in an interview with state radio on Friday, Orbán, seen by his critics as the Kremlin's closest EU ally, cast doubt on Ukraine's ability to defeat Russia's invasion.

“Westerners still think that time is on our side, that the longer the war lasts, the more Ukraine’s military situation will improve. I think the opposite is true,” he said. “I think that time is on the side of the Russians, and the longer the war lasts, the more people will die, and the balance of power will not change in Ukraine’s favor. Then why do we continue the war?”

Top US Senators suggest relations with Hungary could be damaged if it does not endorse Sweden's NATO accession soon

Flags of NATO and Sweden

Flags of NATO and Sweden.

Senior U.S. lawmakers want Hungary to immediately endorse Sweden's accession to NATO, adding that Budapest risks "permanent damage" to its relations with Washington if it does not act, Reuters reported on Feb. 1.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin said he had "deep concerns" about the course of the current Hungarian government.

"Partners don't do these things. And I am questioning whether they are a trusted ally for our [visa] waiver program" he said.

The visa waiver program allows citizens of 41 countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without visas.

 

Senators Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, and Tom Tillis, a Republican, who are co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, issued a statement calling on Budapest to change course.

"Hungary’s inaction risks irrevocably damaging its relationship with the United States and with NATO," their statement reads.

Hungary is currently the only NATO member that has not approved Sweden's application to join the alliance.

Sweden and Finland simultaneously applied to join NATO in May 2022 amid Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

 

Finland officially joined NATO on April 4, 2023, becoming the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Alliance.

After the Turkish parliament approved Sweden's accession to NATO on Jan. 23, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán said that his government also supports the decision and called on the parliament to vote as soon as possible to ratify Sweden's application.

Hungarian Parliament Speaker László Kövér, however, said that his country would not rush to ratify Sweden's application for NATO membership because it "does not feel the urgency."

Media reported on Feb. 1 that the Hungarian parliament may consider Sweden's application for NATO membership next week.

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