Hungary's government declined a request to meet with United States senators who are seeking to push for the ratification of Sweden's bid to join the NATO military alliance.
The bipartisan delegation of American senators made an official visit to Hungary's capital, Budapest, on Sunday. The European country is the only remaining member of the military alliance not to have ratified Stockholm's bid to join NATO.
Hungary's Delay of Sweden's NATO Bid
The Hungary government declined to meet with United States senators who are urging Prime Minister Viktor Orban to quickly ratify Sweden's NATO bid.
The Hungarian government has been facing mounting pressure to act quickly after delaying the move for more than 18 months. It comes as admitting a new country to the military alliance requires unanimous approval from all member states.
The American senators who were visiting the European nation announced that they would submit a joint resolution to Congress that condemns alleged democratic backsliding in Hungary. They also plan to urge the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban to lift its block on Sweden's trans-Atlantic integration.
In a statement during a news conference in the U.S. Embassy in Hungary's capital, Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said that with accession, Hungary and the nation's prime minister will be doing a great service to freedom-loving nations worldwide, as per the Associated Press.
The resolution, which was first reported early on Sunday, was authored by Tillis and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat. The two were accompanied in the delegation to Budapest by Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat.
Shaheen argued that it was "disappointing" that no members of the Hungarian government had accepted invitations to meet the delegation. However, she said that she was still "hopeful and optimistic" that Sweden's accession would be submitted for ratification when Hungarian lawmakers reconvene on Feb. 26, 2024.
On the other hand, Murphy said that the refusal of the Orban government to meet them was "strange and concerning." However, he said that the onus was on the long-serving leader to push for a vote on the matter.
Approving Stockholm's NATO Membership Efforts
While Hungary only has roughly 10 million people and accounts for only 1% of the European Union's economic output, the nation, under Orban, has made its guiding philosophy the defiance of more powerful countries, according to the New York Times.
Orban, speaking a day earlier in the capital of Hungary, restated his previous commitment, which was to let Sweden into the alliance as soon as possible. He said that they are on course to ratify Stockholm's accession to NATO at the beginning of Parliament's spring session.
The prime minister's party has a large majority in Parliament and controls when it meets and how it votes. Legislators with the Fidesz Party boycotted a session of Parliament called earlier this month by the opposition to ratify Sweden's NATO bid.
The situation comes as the Hungarian prime minister previously said that his government can ratify Stockholm's accession as soon as Feb. 26, 2024. He said that with the help of the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, they have taken important steps to restore confidence.
Sweden's efforts to join NATO came at the same time that Finland applied for membership as well, which was prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While Helsinki joined the military alliance in April 2023, Stockholm's efforts have been stifled, said CNN.
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