Hungary under pressure to ratify Sweden's NATO bid after EU deal (updated)
02/02/2024 08:02
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Hungary agreed on Thursday to EU aid package for Ukraine
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PM Orban said he "went to the wall" for Hungary
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Hungary is only NATO state yet to ratify Swedish accession
(Updates with details on Sweden's NATO bid, adds background)
By Krisztina Than
BUDAPEST, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Pressure is mounting on
Hungary to ratify Sweden's bid to join NATO after Budapest
finally joined other European Union states in agreeing on new
aid to Ukraine.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he "went to the
wall" for his country before agreeing to the EU deal worth 50
billion euros ($54 billion) at a summit in Brussels on Thursday
after weeks of resistance.
Hungary had been the only one of the 27 EU member states not
to back the deal at a December summit. It is also the only NATO
country that has not yet ratified Stockholm's membership
application, a process that requires the backing of all members.
Orban, who has better ties with Russia than other EU states
and most NATO members, says his government backs Sweden joining
the alliance. Now he faces pressure from abroad to accelerate
the process.
Opposition lawmakers have called an extraordinary session of
parliament for Monday to put Sweden's NATO accession on the
agenda. But lawmakers in Orban's governing Fidesz party told
Reuters on Thursday they would "wait" with a final vote until a
meeting of Orban and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Orban's press chief did not respond to a Reuters query on
Friday on when the meeting might take place.
Orban has a commanding majority in parliament which he has
often used to ram through legislation, in some cases overnight,
with his ruling party's lawmakers rubber-stamping policy
changes.
Pressure rose on Orban to speed up the Swedish ratification
process after senior U.S. lawmakers said they wanted Hungary to
immediately approve Sweden's accession, suggesting Budapest
risks permanent damage to its relationship with Washington if it
does not act.
"TO THE WALL"
Hungary has not overtly made any demands of NATO as it drags
its feet on approving Sweden's accession.
Agreement on the EU aid for Ukraine finally came quickly on
Thursday after the long resistance by Hungary, which has refused
to send weapons to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion
and whose relations with Ukraine have been marred by tension
over the treatment of 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in
western Ukraine.
Orban has been a vocal critic of the EU's financial and
military support for Kyiv and has maintained ties with the
Kremlin throughout the war.
"I went to the wall," Orban said in a radio broadcast.
"If this deal had not been reached and Hungary had continued
to use its right of veto then 26 member states would have agreed
to send the money to Ukraine ... and would have taken away the
funds earmarked for Hungary and sent that to Ukraine as well --
why would that have been good?".
Under EU practices, it is not possible for money allotted to
a member state in the EU budget, or in what is known as the
recovery fund, to be taken away and given to a country outside
the EU.
After freeing up access to some tranches of EU funds in
December to Hungary, the EU executive, the European Commission,
is still withholding some 20 billion euros from Budapest over
widespread accusations that Orban has damaged democracy at home
during his 13 years in power. His government rejects these
allegations.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Hugh Lawson and
Timothy Heritage)
((krisztina.than@thomsonreuters.com;))