United States: An officially announced bi-partisan group in the United States lawmakers are requesting Hungary to politically endorse the Swedish application for becoming a member of NATO, immediately saying that the patience with the central European country is “wearing thin” as it continues to delay its approval for the Nordic nation.
Hungary’s Unique Position in NATO
However, such has been the situation among NATO’s member countries, as Hungary is currently the only one out of the 31 nations in the military alliance that has not yet supported Sweden’s attempt to join, and frustration has continued to mount within NATO as Budapest has been repeatedly delaying the vote on approving the bid for over a year.
US Senators’ Warning to Hungary
In a joint press release on Thursday, US Senators Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, and Thom Tillis from North Carolina called on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “advance Sweden’s accession protocols to NATO without further delay,” and the only delaying them would harm relations with its allies.
“Despite its numerous prior public commitments, Hungary is the last remaining NATO member to have not ratified Sweden’s bid, and both time and patience are wearing thin. Hungary’s inaction risks irrevocably damaging its relationship with the United States and with NATO,” the senators wrote, according to the report by the Associated Press.
Political Landscape in Hungary
Nationally, Orban is a devout nationalist and has led Hungary since 2010, but one of the promises that he has repeatedly made in recent years is that it would never be the place where Hungary becomes the final NATO member country to ratify Sweden’s application.
Yet following the parliamentary vote in January, which supported Stockholm’s bid, attention gradually turned to Budapest as NATO members called to enlarge the alliance amid Russia’s complete invasion of Ukraine.
Legislative votes on the protocols regarding Sweden’s entry into NATO haven’t found their way onto the agenda of the Hungarian parliament yet. It is assumed this matter will not get to parliament until late February, at least when the parliament will gather up again.
Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, a Maryland Democrat and the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, separately suggested the US would consider sanctioning Hungary, describing Orban as the “least reliable member of NATO.”
Potential US Sanctions on Hungary
Cardin stated that this should be reviewed by the Biden administration; as such, they must consider whether Hungary should continue participating in the UA Visa Waiver Program, which allows visa-free entry to the US for Americans for business or tourism purposes within 90 days.
He added that “given the level of corruption” in Hungary, the US should investigate whether it might slap sanctions on Hungarians under the Global Magnitsky Act, a program that steers Washington in sanctioning foreign persons for human rights and corruption wrongdoings.
Cardin expressed gratitude for the European Union backing Ukraine’s approved aid package worth 50 billion euros on Thursday, commenting that the support was only gained, in the end, by overcoming a veto threat posed by Orbán.
Orbán’s Remarks on Ukraine
Orbán was opposed to funding the aid using the expected budget shared by European Union member states but later had to relent to the measure amid pressure from other heads of state in the 27-member bloc.
In an interview with state radio on Friday, Orbán, seen by his critics as the Kremlin’s closest EU ally, cast doubt on Ukraine’s ability to defeat Russia’s invasion.
In an interview with state radio on Friday, Orbán, who his detractors view as the closest EU ally of the Kremlin, questioned Ukraine’s capacity to repel Russia’s incursion.
‘The Westerners jolly well think that time is on our side – the war should run longer, and Kyiv’s military situation will improve; I would wager everything goes just otherwise. “Meanwhile, I think this war is in favor of the Russian side. As time goes on, more and more people will die, so no one changes the balance of power to Ukrainian’s advantage at all. Then why do we continue it?”