Hungary's parliament ratifies Sweden's NATO bid, clearing the final obstacle to membership
Hungary's parliament voted Monday to ratify Sweden's bid to join NATO, ending more than 18 months of delays that frustrated the alliance as it sought to expand in response to Russia's war in Ukraine.
The vote, which passed with 188 votes for and six against, was the culmination of months of wrangling by Hungary's allies to convince its nationalist government to lift its block on Sweden's membership. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban submitted the protocols for approving Sweden's entry into NATO in July 2022, but the matter stalled in parliament over opposition by governing party lawmakers.
Hungary's decision 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 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — an assault that was purportedly intended to prevent further NATO expansion.
Unanimous support among NATO members is required to admit new countries, and Hungary was the last of the alliance's 31 members to give its backing since Turkey ratified the request last month.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country was «now leaving 200 years of neutrality and nonalignment behind us.»
«It is a big step, we must take that seriously. But it is also a very natural step that we are taking. NATO membership means that we've found a new home within a large number of democracies which work together for peace and freedom,» he told a news conference in
