Hungary is changing its mind and wants to vote for Sweden to join NATO.
This would mean that Orbán's government would take a stand against Russia for the first time in a long time.
Stockholm/Budapest - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long been at the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Even after Russia attacked Ukraine, he remained his loyal ally.
Orbán's government resisted EU sanctions intended to be imposed on Russia for its war of aggression.
Orbán also campaigned for Putin's friend, the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
Budapest tried to prevent NATO military support for Kiev as well as the accession of Sweden and Finland to the transatlantic military alliance.
On Tuesday (March 7) there was a change of direction in the Hungarian government.
According to the US news magazine
Newsweek,
the Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, Csaba Hende, stated that Hungary is likely to vote for Sweden's accession to NATO.
This could happen at the NATO summit on July 11 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Hungary “clearly” supports Sweden joining NATO
"We have made it clear that the Hungarian government, the Hungarian president, the prime minister and most Hungarian parliamentarians unequivocally support Sweden's NATO membership," Hende told Swedish news agency TT on the sidelines of a meeting with members of the Swedish government in
Stockholm
.
The speaker of the parliament is a member of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party.
Until recently, the national-conservative governing party had been at odds about Sweden's accession to NATO and had delayed the decision for months.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted positively to the statements made by the Hungarian delegation in Sweden.
“They are sending a positive message and recommending ratification.
Of course we still have a long way to go, but we're making progress," Stoltenberg told the
Associated Press
.
+
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (right) with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in 2019. (Archive photo)
© dpa
Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán did not block NATO aid to Ukraine
For Russia's President Putin, Sweden's inclusion in the military alliance would probably be a heavy blow.
Putin justified his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by saying, among other things, that he wanted to prevent NATO from expanding.
Orbán also supported Putin's course for a long time and, a few weeks after the invasion of Russian troops, described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj as an "opponent".
But Orbán's public statements often did not match his actual actions.
That says the American political scientist William Reno.
"Orbán threatens to block EU and NATO aid to Ukraine, but mostly drops his veto threats at the last minute," he said, according to
Newsweek
.
Putin's reaction to Sweden joining NATO uncertain
Meanwhile, it remains unclear how Russian President Putin would react to Sweden, and possibly Finland, joining NATO.
John Spencer, a former major in the US armed forces, said in an interview with
Newsweek
that he did not believe Putin's statements about NATO expansion.
Spencer said, "I think that's a false narrative." If enlargement was really a reason for invading Ukraine, then Putin "roughly lost" with Finland and Sweden joining the alliance, Spencer said.
He reminded that Finland has a long border with Russia, totaling more than 1,300 kilometers.
NATO enlargement: The growing defense alliance
NATO enlargement: The growing defense alliance
The journey of the Hungarian delegation, which deals with the NATO expansion, continues.
Hungarian Parliament Speaker Csaba Hende said that his delegation from Budapest is expected to travel to Helsinki soon to discuss Finland's entry into NATO.
According to Hende, a vote on expanding NATO is expected to take place in the Hungarian parliament at the end of March.
Like Hungary, Turkey has so far blocked Sweden's admission to NATO.
Ankara accuses Stockholm of offering a sanctuary to Kurdish activists in Sweden.
On March 9, Turkey wants to hold talks with Sweden and Finland again in Brussels on joining NATO.
(CD)
List of rubrics: © dpa
