US Lawmakers Urge Hungary to Approve Sweden’s NATO Membership to Avoid Damaging Relations

Senior US lawmakers have said they want Hungary to immediately approve Sweden’s entry into NATO, suggesting Budapest risks permanently damaging its relations with Washington if it does not act.

Source: Reuters

Details: Democratic Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Senator Ben Cardin said he was “deeply concerned” about the direction of the current Hungarian government.

The deputy noted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was delaying aid to Ukraine from the European Union and was also preventing Sweden from joining NATO.

Cardin’s direct speech: “Partners don’t do that. And I question whether they are a reliable ally for our visa waiver program.”

The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens of 41 countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa.

And Senators Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, and Thom Tillis, a Republican, who co-chair the NATO Monitoring Group in the Senate, issued a statement calling on Hungary to change course: “Hungary’s inaction risks irrevocably damaging its relations with the United States and NATO.”

Background:

• Sweden, along with Finland, have applied to join NATO in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But its membership was delayed by Turkey and Hungary, leaving the country in limbo and disappointing NATO allies who consider Sweden an important security player in the Baltic region.
• Now Hungary is the only NATO member that has not approved Sweden’s application to join the alliance.
• The Hungarian Parliament may meet on Monday, February 5, for an extraordinary meeting at the request of the opposition, but it is unknown whether it will be possible to vote on Sweden’s accession to NATO, as the opposition wants.

2024-02-02 04:34:55
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