By the end of the year, Hungary will have approved Sweden’s and Finland’s applications to join NATO. According to Victor Orbán’s chief of staff, the alliance’s expansion should be approved in Budapest by mid-December.
Finland and Sweden entry will make NATO stronger – Gulyás
A Hungarian Minister Gergely Gulyás said that the government of Hungary has submitted the ratification documents to the National Assembly and supports Sweden and Finland’s admission to NATO. Gulyás, the chief of staff to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, estimated that the two Nordic nations’ accession to NATO will be approved by mid-December at the latest, Politico reported.
Gulyás expressed his belief that the addition of Finland and Sweden will make NATO stronger in response to a reporter’s question. The question of whether the extension is in Hungary’s best interests in terms of national security, he continued, may be argued, but he insisted that it is now irrelevant.
Only Hungary and Turkey have not yet approved it Finland and Sweden entry to NATO
The procedure to admit Sweden and Finland to the alliance began soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and only Hungary and Turkey have not yet approved it. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban is known for his pro-Russia rhetoric in the European Union.
However, with Russia’s setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine and new harsh economic sanctions, the number of their friends by convenience is fading.
Sanna Marin, the prime minister of Finland, told POLITICO that while she doesn’t anticipate Hungary and Turkey to oppose NATO enlargement, she does caution against the dangers of postponing membership.
Photo: EPA-EFE, Gergely Gulyas, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office holds a press conference in Budapest
