London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Hungary lawmakers debate Finland, Sweden NATO bids

Hungary lawmakers debate Finland, Sweden NATO bids

Hungarian lawmakers on Wednesday started debating the NATO bids of Finland and Sweden, with the ruling party voicing concerns ahead of the vote expected this month.
The parliamentary voting is officially scheduled for March 6-9, but Hungary’s government recently indicated that it might postpone the ratification vote until the second half of the month.

Turkiye and Hungary are the only NATO members still to ratify the bids from both Nordic countries, which must be accepted by all 30 existing members of the military organization.

A meeting between Hungarian and Swedish parliamentary delegations to “clarify (Hungarian) MPs’ concerns about the ratification of NATO accession” is due to be held in the coming weeks, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday.

“MPs aren’t very enthusiastic,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, voicing his concerns during a radio interview last week.

The Hungarian opposition has repeatedly accused Orban’s ruling party Fidesz of dragging its feet over the vote.

Along with its Christian democratic partner KDNP, Fidesz retains a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Some lawmakers worry the direct border between Russia and Finland of more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) could present a “great potential for war,” Orban said.

During the opening remarks of Wednesday’s parliamentary debate, opposition MP Agnes Vadai called Fidesz’ alleged internal debate a mere tactic to delay the ratification.

Orban, a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been keen to maintain ties with Moscow despite Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

While Orban has condemned Russian aggression, he has refused to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin by name.

Finland and Sweden dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied to join NATO last May in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Turkiye has so far held off on ratifying Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership applications, but has indicated that it is ready to accept Finland into NATO.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×