International [NATO News] What Sweden brings to NATO as its Newest Member

[Rod1]

In what sense?

Russian Navy in the Black Sea was defeated by a country with no Navy, what do you think Turkey would had done to Russia in the case of confrontation?

 

[lifelessheap]

We aren't just funding warn in Ukraine, we are funding their pensions and keeping their small businesses afloat to prop up their economy while we suffer at home. Fucked.

 

[SandisLL]

We aren't just funding warn in Ukraine, we are funding their pensions and keeping their small businesses afloat to prop up their economy while we suffer at home. Fucked.

Relocate to Russia and you will not suffer.
Beautiful pensions, salaries etc.
And if about Sweden, they does have their own MIC at least a bit and ....maybe better if they had offered orders for China's MIC for some stuff rather to pay something to U.S " funders ".

 

[LeonardoBjj]

- I love the F22. But f16 is the most iconic fighter jet

 

[GhostZ06]

We aren't just funding warn in Ukraine, we are funding their pensions and keeping their small businesses afloat to prop up their economy while we suffer at home. Fucked.

Um no.

We are using Ukraine as a dumping ground to get rid of old shit that we no longer need and cost way more to store.

Abrams, Bradly, F-16s, M4 rifle, Humvees, Stringer...

All of these will soon be getting replaced or they're replacement program is underway.

 

[Arkain2K]

Turkey's Erdogan submits Sweden's NATO bid to parliament for ratification, presidency says
By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Huseyin Hayatsever | October 23, 2023

ANKARA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday submitted a bill approving Sweden's NATO membership bid to parliament for ratification, his office said, a move welcomed by Stockholm as it clears the way for it to join the Western defence alliance.

Erdogan pleased his NATO allies at a summit in July by promising to send the legislation to parliament when it reopened on Oct. 1, having previously raised objections over Sweden's alleged harbouring of individuals who Turkey says are members of terrorist groups.

Since parliament reopened, however, Turkish officials have repeatedly said Stockholm needed to take more concrete steps to clamp down on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia before Ankara could ratify its membership bid. The PKK is deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

On Monday the bill on approving Sweden finally moved forward.

"The Protocol on Sweden's NATO Accession was signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 23, 2023 and referred to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey," the presidency said on social media platform X without elaborating.

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed the move. "Now it remains for the parliament to deal with the question," Kristersson said on X.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he was looking forward to a "speedy vote" in the Turkish parliament and to welcoming Sweden as an ally "very soon".

In a note to NATO members on their next foreign ministers' meeting on Nov. 28 and 29, Stoltenberg raised the prospect that Sweden could join the alliance at the meeting, according to a European diplomat.

Hungary's parliament will also have to ratify Sweden's NATO application before it can become a member.

"Hungary has said several times it does not want to be last in this process," Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Swedish news agency TT.

"Now that the ratification process has started in Ankara, we assume that the same will happen soon in Budapest."

The United States also welcomed Turkey's move, with State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller saying the U.S. looked forward to the bill passing in the Turkish parliament as soon as possible.

Turkey, which has NATO's second-biggest army, has long been seeking U.S. congressional approval for a $20 billion sale of F-16 jets and modernisation kits. Erdogan has previously linked Sweden's NATO bid to U.S. support for its request.

Turkey, however, has not set a timeframe for ratification. The bill will be put on the agenda of parliament's foreign affairs commission, which will have to pass it before it can be sent to the general assembly for ratification.

Analysts say the bill is expected to be passed in parliament once it is submitted to the general assembly, but it is unclear when Ankara will schedule the vote.

Erdogan's AK Party, along with its nationalist and Islamist partners, holds 322 out of the 600 seats in parliament. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has previously voiced support for Sweden's membership.

"Actually if it would be tabled it would pass," said Sinan Ulgen, former diplomat and director of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies.

"Unless Erdogan takes a negative stance which would impact the AKP vote. Now it is more of a question of when parliament would decide to schedule the vote. Can be quick or maybe not," Ulgen said on X, adding "the decision rests with 1 man".

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland's membership was sealed in April, in a historic expansion of the alliance, but Sweden's bid had been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

https://www.reuters.com/world/turke...arliament-ratification-presidency-2023-10-23/

 

[Arkain2K]

Turkish parliament set to discuss ratifying Sweden's NATO membership
By Reuters | October 25, 2023

ANKARA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Turkey's parliamentary speaker sent a bill approving Sweden's NATO membership bid to parliament's foreign affairs commission on Wednesday, the assembly's website showed, in another step towards its final ratification.

President Tayyip Erdogan submitted the bill ratifying Sweden's membership of the NATO military alliance to parliament on Monday after delaying doing so for months.

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year, ditching long-held policies of military non-alignment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland's membership was sealed in April, in a historic expansion of the alliance, but Turkey and Hungary held off from approving Sweden's application.

Turkey said Sweden must first take measures against supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and members of a network Ankara holds responsible for a 2016 coup attempt. Turkey treats both groups as terrorist organisations.

Sweden approved a new anti-terrorism law in July.

The Turkish bill must be approved by the foreign affairs commission before the parliament's general assembly formally ratifies it and Erdogan signs it into law.

There is no specific time frame for parliament to ratify Sweden's NATO membership. The commission chair and then the speaker will decide when the bill is discussed.

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus voiced hope on Tuesday that it would come to parliament's general assembly "as soon as possible."

The bill's preamble said Sweden's NATO membership would contribute to the security of the "Euro-Atlantic region", including Turkey.

It recalled a July 10 meeting of Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania at which the Turkish leader agreed to forward to parliament Stockholm's bid to join the alliance.

In that meeting, Sweden promised to provide a roadmap to Turkey regarding implementation of commitments recorded in a memorandum signed last year, establishing a bilateral security cooperation mechanism at the ministerial level and to support Turkey's European Union accession process, the preamble said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/turki...ratifying-swedens-nato-membership-2023-10-25/

 

[Arkain2K]

Turkey expects to ratify Sweden's NATO accession 'within weeks' - Swedish minister​

By Andrew Gray and Ingrid Melander | November 29, 2023

BRUSSELS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Turkey has told Sweden it expects to ratify its long-delayed accession to the NATO military alliance within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

But Turkey denied it has given any timetable for the ratification.

Sweden and Finland asked to join NATO last year after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is a NATO member, raised objections over what he said was the two countries' protection of groups that Ankara deems terrorists.

Turkey endorsed Finland's membership bid in April, but has kept Sweden waiting.

"I had a bilateral with my colleague, the (Turkish) foreign minister ... where he told me he expected the ratification to take place within weeks," Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told reporters before the second day of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

A Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan did not comment on a timeline for Sweden's accession to the military alliance during his bilateral talks.

Fidan told his counterparts in bilateral talks on the sidelines at the NATO meeting that the Turkish parliament would decide on ratification of Sweden's NATO membership bid, without further elaborating, the source said.

Turkey has demanded that Sweden take more steps to rein in local members of the Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States.

In response, Stockholm introduced an anti-terrorism bill that makes membership of a terrorist organisation illegal, while also lifting arms export restrictions on Turkey. It says it has upheld its part of a deal signed last year.

Some in NATO had hoped Sweden's ratification would be completed by now, in time for an accession ceremony to take place on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting.

"The Turkish foreign minister didn't present a date but said 'within weeks'," Billstrom said.

In July, Erdogan linked Sweden's NATO membership to Turkey's EU accession for which talks have been frozen for years but EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters on Wednesday that there are still "open issues" before an accession can happen.

The EU said in a statement on Wednesday that it could resume talks with Turkey on negotiating the rapid customs union modernisation and explore possibilities with member states to facilitate access to visa applications.

Sweden's NATO membership is also pending ratification by Hungary.

"(Prime Minister) Viktor Orban has repeatedly said that Hungary won't be the last to ratify Sweden's membership," Billstrom said.

"That means that it is more in the hands of Ankara than maybe of Budapest. We expect white smoke from Budapest the moment there is white smoke from Ankara," Billstrom said.

Turkey expects to ratify Sweden's NATO accession 'within weeks' - Swedish minister

Turkey has told Sweden it expects to ratify its long-delayed accession to the NATO military alliance within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Arkain2K]

With NATO Membership Looming, Sweden and US Sign New Defense Cooperation Deal​

Dec. 5, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Swedish defense minister Pal Jonson signed a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement on Dec. 5 strengthening military ties between the two nations, which will allow bilateral exercises and new joint procurements and further paves a path for Sweden’s integration into NATO.

The agreement “will enable enhanced defense cooperation, such as legal status for U.S. military personnel, access to deployment areas, and pre-positioning of military materiel,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder told reporters. “The DCA also creates the conditions necessary for U.S. military support when requested, and is, therefore, an agreement of great importance to both countries.” Further specifics were not immediately provided.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, long-neutral Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, and while Finland has been admitted to the alliance, Sweden’s membership is waiting on approval from Turkey and Hungary.

Jonson, speaking Dec. 5 with the Atlantic Council, declined to offer a timeline on when he expects the final hurdles to Sweden’s membership to be cleared, only saying that it will be “soon.”

“Turkey has given Swedish invitee status, saying it’s not whether we’re going to become members but when … and we’re hopeful that this is going to be resolved as soon as possible,” Jonson said.

Of the DCA between the U.S. and Sweden, Jonson said, “This is going to put our close partnership even closer. It’s going to create better conditions for U.S. forces both to use Swedish territory as a staging and basing area, and also for exercising, and it’s all about also deterrence. So the DCA is going to be a new cornerstone in our bilateral cooperation.”

He later said a U.S. military presence in Sweden “is important” for NATO integration and the DCA will guide American investment in the region.

Jonson’s remarks focused on how Sweden will integrate its military with NATO and made the case that Stockholm is already highly aligned both operationally and technically with NATO standards.

As an example, he cited last year’s “Silver Arrow” exercise with the U.S., saying it was Sweden’s largest exercise in 25 years and highlighted the need to pay attention to logistics and maintenance, and the ability to “fight for a long time.”

He noted that the Nordic countries of Norway, Finland, and Denmark already work together militarily, and all now have DCAs with the U.S., and this should speed and enhance NATO interoperability in the Scandinavian region.

Sweden was one of the first members of the Partnership For Peace—sometimes called “NATO Light”—set up by during the Clinton Administration to establish a path to NATO membership for other European countries and the former Warsaw Pact nations. The PFP defined a series of steps, from joint exercises to common equipment and training standards, necessary for membership, and Sweden has fully embraced all of those, Jonson said, and has sent its troops to serve alongside NATO forces in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Libya.

“We are plugged into NATO’s regional plans,” he said, and Sweden offers not only state-of-the-art ground, air, and naval forces and basing opportunities but expertise in Russian intelligence matters.

“Intelligence is also an asset I think we can bring to the table, to the alliance,” Jonson said. “Sweden has a lot of Russian expertise. We have strong capabilities in our intelligence communities. We have sensors that can work from our submarines and they can work also from our surface combatants and also from airborne sensors.”

Sweden, despite a population of only 10 million, also has a defense industry capable of building armored vehicles, submarines, corvettes, and fighter and command-and-control aircraft, and is making 155mm ammunition for Ukraine alongside Denmark and Norway. The SAAB JAS-39 Gripen is a frequent competitor to the U.S. F-16 and F-35 in international competitions, and its Global Eye airborne warning and control system often goes up against Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail. SAAB is Boeing’s partner on the T-7A Red Hawk advanced USAF trainer, and Sweden’s Gripen fighters carry U.S.-made AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and are powered by GE Aerospace F414 engines.

Sweden is “fully behind” NATO’s goals that every member devote two percent of its gross domestic product on defense and 20 percent of that amount on new equipment and research and development, Jonson said.

“Sweden has doubled its defense budgets by 2024 compared to how we were in in 2020,” he said. “In five years, we have doubled [spending] … and next year we will reach 2.1 percent of GDP and we have a trajectory upwards as well. We get it.”

On top of that, Jonson said Sweden spends “actually, 56 percent, when it comes to acquisition. So we score quite well in reqard to investments and also on innovation.”

Joining NATO will given Sweden added security in deterring possible aggression by Russia, which continues to wage war on Ukraine, and Jonson said Sweden also wants to do its part to prevent Russia from a series of further attacks.

“If Russia would be successful in this war, I fear that other countries neighboring Russia, such as Moldova and Georgia, would feel an increased pressure and there will also be an increased pressure on the Alliance. So rest assured that the United States has a partner in Sweden that shares a unity of purpose of supporting Ukraine as long as it takes,” he said.

Russia has outlined plans to regroup from its losses in Ukraine and “be back with a bigger force” in 2026, Jonson added, which will require vigilance and no let-up in support for Kyiv from NATO and the European Union. There is a “window of opportunity” for NATO to keep up the pressure to secure a desirable outcome in the war, he added.

Most of the Swedish electorate—65-70 percent—supports joining NATO, Jonson said, and 88 percent of seats in parliament were won “by those who want to join,” Jonson said. They recognize that Russia’s aggression is an immediate danger and requires an “evolution” in thinking.

“Sweden Is no longer being defended inside Sweden,” he said.

With NATO Membership Looming, Sweden and US Sign New Defense Cooperation Deal

The U.S. and Sweden defense leaders signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement as Sweden preps for NATO membership.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

[Arkain2K]

Putin warns of problems with neighboring Finland after West ‘dragged it into NATO’​

By Yulia Kesaieva, Darya Tarasova, Benjamin Brown and Amarachi Orie, CNN | December 17, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned there will be “problems” with neighboring Finland after it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) earlier this year.

Finland’s ascension to NATO marked a major shift in the security landscape in northern Europe, and added some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia.

It was also a blow for President Putin, who has long warned against NATO expansion.

“They (the West) took Finland and dragged it into NATO! Why, did we have any disputes with Finland? All disputes, including those of a territorial nature in the middle of the 20th Century, have all been resolved long ago,” Putin said in an interview published on Sunday.

“There were no problems, but now there will be, because we will now create the Leningrad military district there and definitely concentrate military units there,” Putin added in the interview by Russian state broadcaster Russia 1.

Putin also dismissed as “complete nonsense” remarks from US President Joe Biden, who earlier this month warned that Putin would “keep going” if he takes Ukraine, suggesting that Russia could eventually attack a NATO ally and draw US troops into conflict.

The Russian leader said Russia “has no reason, no interest, no geopolitical interest, neither economic, nor political, nor military, to fight with NATO countries,” adding Moscow does not have any territorial claims in NATO countries.

“There is no desire to spoil relations with them (NATO countries), we are interested in developing relations,” Putin added.

Border spat​

Finland became the 31st member of NATO when it joined in April, doubling the security alliance’s direct frontier with Russia.

Even before Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, he had demanded NATO limit its expansion. Yet, it was the war that “altered the security environment of Finland,” driving the Nordic nation’s desire to join the alliance, President Sauli Niinistö said in May 2022 when announcing his country would seek to join.

Within a few months of its application, the Finnish government said it would spend around $143 million on building barrier fences along Finland’s 830-mile eastern border with Russia, which used to have little security protections.

Finland again shut its entire border with Russia this week, over claims hundreds of people were trying to cross without a visa.

After another closure was announced last month, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo accused Russia of “enabling the instrumentalization of people and guiding them to the Finnish border in harsh winter conditions. Finland is determined to put an end to this phenomenon.”

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/17/world/putin-warns-problems-finland-nato-intl/index.html

 

[Arkain2K]

NATO to hold biggest drills since Cold War with 90,000 troops​

By Reuters | January 18, 2024



BRUSSELS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - NATO is launching its largest exercise since the Cold War, rehearsing how U.S. troops could reinforce European allies in countries bordering Russia and on the alliance's eastern flank if a conflict were to flare up with a "near-peer" adversary.

Some 90,000 troops are due to join the Steadfast Defender 2024 drills that will run through May, the alliance's top commander Chris Cavoli said on Thursday.

More than 50 ships from aircraft carriers to destroyers will take part, as well as more than 80 fighter jets, helicopters and drones and at least 1,100 combat vehicles including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles, NATO said.

Cavoli said the drills would rehearse NATO's execution of its regional plans, the first defence plans the alliance has drawn up in decades, detailing how it would respond to a Russian attack.

NATO did not mention Russia by name in its announcement. But its top strategic document identifies Russia as the most significant and direct threat to NATO members' security.

"Steadfast Defender 2024 will demonstrate NATO's ability to rapidly deploy forces from North America and other parts of the alliance to reinforce the defence of Europe," NATO said.

The reinforcement will occur during a "simulated emerging conflict scenario with a near-peer adversary", Cavoli told reporters in Brussels after a two-day meeting of national chiefs of defence.

The last exercises of a similar size were Reforger - during the Cold War in 1988 with 125,000 participants - and Trident Juncture in 2018 with 50,000 participants, according to NATO.

The troops taking part in the exercises, which will involve simulations of getting personnel to Europe as well exercises on the ground, will come from NATO countries and Sweden, which hopes to join the alliance soon.

Allies signed off on the regional plans at their 2023 Vilnius summit, ending a long era in which NATO had seen no need for large-scale defence plans as Western countries fought smaller wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and felt certain post-Soviet Russia no longer posed an existential threat.

During the second part of the Steadfast Defender exercise, a special focus will be on the deployment of NATO's quick reaction force to Poland on the alliance's eastern flank.

Other major locations of the drills will be the Baltic states which are seen as most at risk from a potential Russian attack, Germany - a hub for incoming reinforcements - and countries on the fringes of the alliance such as Norway and Romania.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-kick-off-biggest-drills-decades-with-some-90000-troops-2024-01-18/

 

[Arkain2K]

Russia says NATO's Steadfast Defender exercises mark return to Cold War schemes​

By Reuters | January 20, 2024

Jan 21 (Reuters) - The scale of NATO's Steadfast Defender 2024 exercises mark an "irrevocable return" of the alliance to Cold War schemes, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the state RIA news agency in remarks published on Sunday.

NATO said on Thursday it was launching its largest exercise since the Cold War involving some 90,000 troops, rehearsing how U.S. troops could reinforce European allies in countries bordering Russia and on the alliance's eastern flank if a conflict were to flare up with a "near-peer" adversary.

"These exercises are another element of the hybrid war unleashed by the West against Russia," Grushko told RIA.
"An exercise of this scale ... marks the final and irrevocable return of NATO to the Cold War schemes, when the military planning process, resources and infrastructure are being prepared for confrontation with Russia."

NATO did not mention Russia by name in its announcement. But its top strategic document identifies Russia as the most significant and direct threat to NATO members' security.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 in what Kyiv and its Western allies have said was an unprovoked imperialistic land grab.

Moscow, and its chief diplomat Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have since often accused "the collective West" of conducting a "hybrid war" against Russia by backing Ukraine through financial and military aid.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/natos-steadfast-defender-exercises-mark-return-cold-war-schemes-russia-says-2024-01-21/

 

[LeonardoBjj]

Putin warns of problems with neighboring Finland after West ‘dragged it into NATO’​

By Yulia Kesaieva, Darya Tarasova, Benjamin Brown and Amarachi Orie, CNN | December 17, 2023

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/17/world/putin-warns-problems-finland-nato-intl/index.html

- A poster warned about it on first or second page!

 

[SandisLL]

We aren't just funding warn in Ukraine, we are funding their pensions and keeping their small businesses afloat to prop up their economy while we suffer at home. Fucked.

We are forced to fund U.S banks and LNG sellers plus U.S MIC and IT niche corps, additionally to fill bills for refugees ( I hope they will be relocated to U.S and Trump will grant them U.S citizenship )....

 

[Arkain2K]

- A poster warned about it on first or second page!

Typical Russian response everytime NATO holds an excercise. Just like how China and North Korea reacts whenever U.S/Japan/Korea/Australia have a naval excercise.

 

[shinkyoku]

Well, after a lot of delays, the Turkish parliament have ratified Sweden's NATO application. Or rather voted to do it. The actual signing of the document by Erdogan will be done, probably, later this week.

Only Hungary, who previously have said that they would not be the last one to ratify the application are now the last one to not have ratified it (or will be, in about a week).
Hungary's Parliament is on winter recess to mid February, but a majority could vote for an extra parliamentary session to make the vote, something the opposition has already called for.

If this happens, Sweden could then turn over the final joining document at the NATO meeting in Brussels, February 14-15.

 

[Arkain2K]

Hungary's Orbán boycotts parliament session called to ratify Swedish NATO bid​

Hungary remains alone in holding up Stockholm’s accession despite PM’s promises not to be last to ratify
By Lili Bayer in Brussels | Mon 5 Feb 2024


Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has boycotted a session of parliament called by the opposition to ratify Sweden’s Nato membership, even as a group of western ambassadors arrived in the building to urge a vote.

For months, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, repeatedly promised his counterparts within Nato that the country would not be last to sign off on Sweden’s membership.

But Orbán reneged on the pledge when Turkey ratified the Swedish bid last month, leaving Hungary alone holding up Stockholm’s accession.

The Hungarian leader then publicly promised Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, that he would urge parliament to “conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity” – only to also abandon that pledge by not showing up to a session initiated by the country’s opposition with the aim of voting on Sweden’s accession.

In a symbolic move, a group of 16 diplomatic representatives, including the American ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, arrived at Hungary’s parliament on Monday.

Pressman, who in an interview with the Guardian last month described Washington as “disappointed” by Budapest’s failure to act, told reporters after the session: “Sweden’s Nato accession is an issue that directly affects the United States national security and it affects the security of our alliance as a whole.”

“The prime minister pledged to convene parliament and urge parliament to act at its earliest opportunity. Today was an opportunity to do that – and we look forward to watching this closely and to Hungary acting expeditiously,” the American diplomat added.

The Hungarian delay has deeply frustrated western officials, who have expressed concern both about the length of delays and the lack of clarity over the reasoning behind Hungary’s moves.

“With our presence today, we wanted to show our solidarity with Sweden, and the Swedish ambassador in Budapest, in their pursuit of joining Nato in such a difficult and demanding time for the world. We hope that this will happen as soon as possible,” said a senior European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

“We didn’t know which parties will be present during the session, so the only message we wanted to show was our solidarity to increasing our security in the region,” the European diplomat added.

Western officials say that they are puzzled by Budapest’s decision-making. Over the many months since Sweden applied for membership in May 2022, they say, Hungary did not raise any formal objections or requests connected to the Swedish bid – yet kept delaying its ratification.

Within Nato, events in Budapest are seen “with growing frustration and disappointment,” said a second senior European diplomat.

“Hungary had promised not to be last. That promise has been broken. We expect a swift ratification as soon as parliament reconvenes,” the diplomat stressed.

Máté Kocsis, the head of the Fidesz faction in the Hungarian parliament, said in a social media post on Monday that ratification could happen when the parliament meets for its regular session – scheduled for late February – but that “for this a meeting of the two prime ministers in Budapest is necessary”.

“If accession is important for the Swedes, then they come here, as they went to Turkey,” he said.

Hungary’s opposition, which has been pushing for ratification, expressed dismay at the continued delay.

“We know that Orbán considers these situations as opportunities for blackmail, but completely ignoring a parliamentary session, our allies’ requests and the security interests of Hungary is disgraceful,” said Márton Tompos, a member of the Hungarian parliament and spokesperson for the opposition Momentum party.

“I hope they will come to their senses, otherwise I fear that Hungary’s security will suffer the consequences.”

Orbán boycotts parliament session called to ratify Swedish Nato bid

Hungary remains alone in holding up Stockholm’s accession despite PM’s promises not to be last to ratify

www.theguardian.com

 

[Arkain2K]

Hungary’s ruling party boycotts parliament session on Sweden’s NATO bid​

Hungary is the only NATO member yet to approve Sweden’s accession to the military alliance.

Lawmakers from Hungary’s ruling party have boycotted an emergency parliament session in which a vote on Sweden’s bid to join NATO was on the agenda.

At Monday’s session, which was supported by six opposition parties, Fidesz lawmakers didn’t attend, scuttling the attempt to place a vote on the National Assembly’s schedule.

Turkey’s parliament voted to approve Sweden’s accession in January, making Hungary the last of the world’s largest military alliance’s 31 members not to do so.

Sweden had pursued a policy of military non-alignment since the Cold War. However, Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour Ukraine in 2022 caused upheaval in geopolitical calculations, and Stockholm applied to become a NATO member that same year.

Hungary has maintained close ties with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, and while it has said it supports the Swedish bid in principle, Budapest has been dragging its feet for months.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last month that he would urge his Fidesz party to ratify the bid “at the first possible opportunity”.

On Friday, the United States embassy reminded Orban in a statement that he promised to act “at the first opportunity” and “Monday’s session provides him with one”.

Several ambassadors from NATO member countries attended Monday’s proceedings, including US Ambassador David Pressman.

In brief comments to the media after the session, Pressman said the US looks forward to “watching this closely and to Hungary acting expeditiously”.

“Sweden’s NATO accession is an issue that directly affects the United States’s national security and affects the security of our alliance as a whole,” he said, reminding Orban of his pledge.

Orban is delaying the vote due to his “personal vanity”, Agnes Vadai from the biggest opposition party told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

She accused the prime minister of seeking to “make headlines in the international press while making a gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin by undermining the unity of NATO and the EU”.

In a separate statement, US senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat and chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raised the prospect of imposing sanctions on Hungary for its conduct and called Orban “the least reliable member of NATO”.

Hungarian officials have indicated that Fidesz lawmakers won’t support holding a vote on Sweden’s NATO bid until Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson accepts an invitation by Orban to visit Budapest to negotiate the matter.

Kristersson said he will make the trip but only after Hungary approves his country’s NATO membership.

Fidesz said in a statement on Monday that ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession can take place during a regular session of parliament, “but we are expecting the Swedish prime minister to visit Hungary first.”

“If this is an important issue for the Swedes, the Swedish prime minister will obviously come to Budapest,” the party said.

Hungary’s National Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on February 26, and ratification could take place quickly once it has received Orban’s approval.

Hungary’s ruling party boycotts parliament session on Sweden’s NATO bid

Hungary is the only NATO member yet to approve Sweden’s accession to the military alliance.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Halge]

Don't they have phones in Hungary?

 

[Hdfi]

This will require an expansion of SCO to keep NATO in line.