Hungary criticized Sweden on Thursday for failing to take any steps to boost bilateral relations in light of the Nordic country’s NATO bid, concluding that quick entrance may not be a “priority”.
Hungary and Turkey are the only NATO members who have not confirmed Sweden’s proposal to join the defensive alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey made its confirmation of Sweden’s NATO membership contingent on the US Congress “simultaneously” approving Ankara’s request for 40 F-16 fighter fighters.
Hungary has often stated that it supports Sweden’s ambition, but it has consistently delayed putting the issue to a vote in parliament.
Last September, Orban told parliament that ratifying Sweden’s NATO ambition was not “urgent,” but demanded “respect” from the Nordic country, a fellow EU member.
Budapest has frequently decried Stockholm’s “openly hostile attitude,” accusing Swedish officials of being “repeatedly eager to bash Hungary” on rule-of-law concerns.
Gergely Gulyas, chief of staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, expressed concern on Thursday about Stockholm’s failure to take “confidence-building steps” to repair relations.
Gulyas defined their connection as “legally an alliance, but cannot be considered friendly.”
“I must therefore conclude that for Sweden, rapid NATO accession is not a priority at this time,” he added.
A top government official proposed that the Swedish government contact the Hungarian Parliament to understand their concerns and potential solutions.
In response to a question, Gulyas refused to restate Orban’s prior vow that his party alliance, which enjoys a supermajority in parliament, would not be the last to ratify Sweden’s application.
“We want to avoid this situation, but without Swedish help, we probably can’t. If it is not important to the Swedes, why should it be important to us?”.