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Hungary’s parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Monday, clearing the way for the Nordic nation’s accession to the alliance after nearly two years of intense negotiations and dealing a geopolitical blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Getting approval from the Hungarian parliament was the final hurdle for Stockholm joining NATO. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited Budapest on Friday to discuss defense and security cooperation with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban. The two sides appeared to reconcile, agreeing on a deal that would see Hungary acquire four new Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets.
Of the 194 members of parliament who voted, just six rejected Sweden’s accession.
“Today is a historic day,” Kristersson said on X shortly after the vote. “Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security.”
Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images
Hungarian Parliament representatives are seen voting on the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership on Monday.
Sweden will formally join the alliance after it submits its instrument of accession with the United States government, which is the depository of the North Atlantic Treaty. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed Sweden’s will become a member of the block now that all allies have approved its bid to join.
“Sweden’s membership will make us all stronger and safer,” he said.
With Sweden’s accession, NATO will count 32 countries among its members, an ironic twist given that Russia launched its war against Ukraine in part due to the alliance’s growth in Eastern Europe along Russia’s border.
Last year, Finland became the 31st NATO member, adding some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia.
As NATO states, Finland and Sweden will enjoy the protection granted under Article 5 of the treaty that established the alliance – which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack against all.
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Sweden and Finland announced their intention to join the alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, abandoning the decades-long policy of non-alignment that defined both states’ foreign relations during the Cold War.
NATO has an open-door policy, meaning that any country can be invited to join if it expresses an interest and is able and willing to uphold the principles of the bloc’s founding treaty.
However, under the accession rules, any member state can veto a new country from joining. While most NATO members quickly approved Finland and Sweden’s applications, Hungary and Turkey held out for some time.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Finland and Sweden of being too lenient toward Kurdish terrorist organizations, while Orban claimed they were spreading “outright lies” about his country’s failure to adhere to European Union standards on the rule of law – fundamental values enshrined in EU treaties.
Such concerns prompted the EU to freeze billions of dollars’ worth of funds meant for Hungary until such concerns were addressed. Orban and his government have repeatedly denied that they…
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