On Monday, Hungary will ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO, which would mean the removal of the last obstacle to this historic step by the northern country, whose neutrality has crossed two world wars and the acute conflict of the Cold War, according to Reuters, which quotes news. ro

The vote in Hungary’s parliament, which is expected to go smoothly after a visit by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last Friday, during which the two countries signed an arms deal, will end months of delays in finalizing Sweden’s security policy overhaul.

Stockholm abandoned its non-alignment policy for greater security within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Western leaders said that with Sweden joining NATO as the 32nd member after Finland, Russian President Vladimir Putin had achieved exactly what he tried to avoid when he launched the war in Ukraine – an expansion of the alliance.

While Finland joined NATO last year, Sweden had to wait because Turkey and Hungary, which have better relations with Russia than other alliance members, raised objections.

Turkey has refused to ratify Sweden’s accession, calling for tougher measures against militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it says have made Sweden their home.

Sweden has changed its laws and relaxed arms sales rules to appease Turkey. President Tayyip Erdogan also linked the ratification to US approval of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, and Ankara now expects the United States to seek approval from the US Congress.

Hungary’s delay was less obvious, as Budapest expressed its anger at Sweden’s criticism of the direction of democratic development under nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán rather than making any specific demands.

Turkey’s signature left Hungary as the final hurdle.

The addition of Sweden, which has not been at war since 1814, and Finland is the most significant expansion of the alliance since it expanded into Eastern Europe in the 1990s.

While Sweden has stepped up cooperation with the alliance in recent decades, taking part in operations in places such as Afghanistan, its entry will simplify defense planning and cooperation on NATO’s northern flank.

Sweden also provides the alliance with resources such as state-of-the-art submarines adapted to the conditions of the Baltic Sea and a significant fleet of indigenous Gripen fighter jets. It is increasing its military spending and this year should reach NATO’s threshold of 2% of GDP.