PM Orbán got into serious trouble in the NATO: what will follow?
Turkey’s parliament has voted in favour of Sweden’s NATO membership, leaving Hungary as the sole member yet to accept Stockholm’s bid. Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán extended an invitation to his Swedish counterpart for a discussion on shared concerns, only to receive an unexpected response. Previously, Hungary had committed not to be the final country to ratify Sweden’s NATO bid.
Hungary’s support towards Türkiye
In a recent Facebook post, Hungarian defence policy expert András Rácz highlighted that Orbán’s invitation appeared to contradict Hungary’s official stance on Sweden’s NATO accession. This official position had been rooted in concerns about Sweden’s perceived lack of respect for Hungary and its values.
To Orbán’s surprise, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström responded, stating that there was no necessity for a meeting between the two leaders. This unforeseen reply places Hungary in a more challenging position.
“Until now, the semi-official Hungarian explanation has been that by delaying the ratification, Hungary was assisting Türkiye, ensuring that Ankara was not left isolated by its delay,” said Zsolt Németh, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian Parliament. Németh voiced this even publicly, which has been the dominant explanation in closed-door meetings too. Nevertheless, the exact benefits Budapest gained from supporting Ankara were never disclosed. Notably, Hungary’s typically transactionalist foreign policy apparatus remained silent on the matter, remarked András Rácz.
András Rácz, in another post, suggested that the delay in Sweden’s NATO accession only serves Russia’s interests, providing Moscow with additional time to prepare for the Baltic Sea potentially becoming a ‘NATO lake.’
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The NATO counts on Hungary’s green light ASAP
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s general secretary, expressed optimism yesterday, stating that he “also counts on Hungary to complete its national ratification as soon as possible.”
Despite earlier assurances from Hungarian FM Péter Szijjártó not to be the last NATO member accepting Sweden’s NATO membership, it appears the Hungarian government may struggle to keep that promise. The Hungarian parliament has not initiated its spring session, and while Orbán’s governing parties hold a supermajority, convening a session at any time would be conspicuous.
Furthermore, this move could signify that Erdogan did not inform Orbán about the impending decision of the Ankara parliament. It would suggest that Hungary was left behind, despite Budapest’s efforts to assist Türkiye in its negotiations with Sweden, potentially casting a shadow over the otherwise positive Hungary-Türkiye relationship.
The Turkish parliament’s decision now waits for the president’s signature. But that is expected “to happen fairly soon”, András Rácz wrote.
The Turkish parliament’s decision now awaits the president’s signature, which is expected “to happen fairly soon,” according to András Rácz. In this scenario, Hungary may find it challenging to explain, even behind closed doors, why they did not accept Sweden’s NATO bid despite having no precise complaints, except for the perceived lack of respect, nor demands towards Stockholm.
Former PM Gyurcsány’s DK calls on Orbán ‘to get parlament’ to ratify Sweden’s NATO accession
The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called on Prime Minister Viktor Orban “to get the Hungarian parliament” to ratify Sweden’s NATO accession.
Party spokeswoman Olga Kálmán told a press conference on Wednesday that it was clear ever since the issue emerged that Sweden’s accession is as much in the interest of NATO as of Hungary. “The biggest hurdle, Turkiye’s veto, has been lifted with the Turkish parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s membership,” she said.
Kálmán said that Orban “has been left on his own on this issue as well” and “is a loner in standing in the way of Sweden’s accession”. “It is clear that the Hungarian prime minister, who is under Putin’s influence, is not considered a sovereign player in the European political arena. Even the Swedish government said their members do not want to meet Viktor Orban as they have nothing to discuss,” Kálmán said.
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