The Hungarian parliament voted Monday in favor of accepting Sweden into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), setting up another addition to the alliance after nearby Finland joined amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hungary’s approval was the last remaining among the alliance’s member states before Sweden’s prospective membership could move forward, expanding again the mutual defense alliance activated in the event a member country is attacked.
Though Hungary is led by a right-wing government, support Monday in its parliament for Sweden joining NATO was overwhelming. POLITICO shared comments following Hungary’s move from Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. “The parliaments of all NATO member states have now voted in favor of Swedish accession to NATO. Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security,” he said, referencing the commitment shared among member states to support that prospect of mutual defense.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, who remains the front-runner for this year’s presidential nomination from the Republican Party, is standing by his recent threats to support Russia in a potential military stand-off between the country and NATO members if they fail to meet ostensible spending obligations, the nature of which Trump misrepresents. Rather than organizational dues, the money that Trump seemingly tries to reference is domestic spending on defense, with some countries not yet reaching the long-term ambitions for such spending at issue.
Trump claimed at a campaign rally that he shared that stance — threatening support for Russia — in interactions with a fellow world leader while president, though “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough doubted the interactions really happened.
Trump’s comments drew extensive criticism. “NATO is the most successful military alliance in history. It’s essential to deterring war & defending American security. No sane American President would encourage Putin to attack our NATO allies. No honorable American leaders would excuse or endorse this,” former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
