Hungary expected to remove last hurdle on Sweden's NATO bid
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Hungary's Prime Minister says that he and his Swedish counterpart were able to communicate their "good intentions" regarding the latter's bid to join NATO.
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Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, left, shakes hands with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, February 23, 2024. (AP)
Hungary is expected to approve Sweden's NATO accession request on Monday, removing the last hurdle of the country joining the military coalition after Turkey's parliament ratified its bid last month.
Following the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, but the latter's request was passed swiftly last April, while Stockholm faced political challenges with Ankara and Budapest.
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"We have managed to clarify our mutual good intentions," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told reporters on Friday after meeting with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson in Budapest, which saw the signing of a deal to purchase four Swedish-made fighter jets.
The US tied an F-16 aircraft deal with Turkey to Ankara's approval of Sweden's NATO membership, while Turkey called for the removal of arms embargoes imposed on Ankara by NATO allies, including Canada.
On January 26, US President Joe Biden's administration gave the green light for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, following Turkey's endorsement of Sweden's NATO bid.
US Ambassador to Ankara Jeffry Flake revealed earlier this month that the sale included 40 new and 79 upgraded F-16 fighter jets.
