“Russia will remain the most significant and direct threat to the Alliance for the foreseeable future,” he wrote. Iohannis would be the first NATO chief from a country that was once in the Soviet bloc, but he faces an uphill struggle to edge out Rutte. The U.S., Britain, France and Germany — the four biggest … Read more
“We have pointed out a few things as a potential, very natural [with] the Baltic states, both on air policing, but also other tasks,” he said, highlighting Sweden’s undersea capability in the Baltic Sea, a crucial zone of activity for the Russian navy around Kaliningrad. He also stressed Sweden’s strong defense industry as a role … Read more
Orbán also said he and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have taken steps to “rebuild trust” between the two countries, without specifying what those steps were. In a historic shift in policy prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022. Hungary is the only NATO country that has not yet … Read more
After months of delay, Orbán officially backed Sweden’s candidacy in January, but it still needs to be validated by the Hungarian parliament. The parliamentary vote should be a formality, as Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party holds a comfortable majority. But Fidesz leaders on Monday demanded that Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson first visit Budapest before the … Read more
This includes issues in the awarding of public contracts, restrictions on academic freedoms, a “child protection law” widely viewed as homophobic and the treatment of asylum seekers. The row over the so-called child protection law has turned into legal action, as 15 member countries and the European Parliament have joined a lawsuit brought by the Commission … Read more
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today signed into law Sweden’s accession to NATO. “Welcome Türkiye’s approval of the ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson tweeted. “With this, a key milestone has been reached in Sweden’s path towards NATO membership.” All NATO members, except Hungary, have ratified Sweden’s application to join the military … Read more
If you want to join NATO, come and talk to me — that’s Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s latest message to his Swedish counterpart. “Today I sent an invitation letter to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson … for a visit to Hungary to negotiate on Sweden’s NATO accession,” Orbán tweeted today. Orbán’s remarks come amid growing … Read more
