Hungary removed the final barrier for NATO to admit Sweden

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban affirmed that his country will remove the final obstacle to Sweden joining NATO after the Nordic country agreed to sell Gripen jet fighters to Budapest.
The Hungarian Parliament will make "necessary decisions" to ratify the Nordic country's NATO accession early next week, Prime Minister Orban said at a press conference with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson in Budapest on Thursday. February 23.

According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, the fighter jet agreement will expand Hungary's fleet of Swedish-made Gripen aircraft from 14 to 18 aircraft and it will also help rebuild relations between the two countries.

Previously, Mr. Orban cited the lack of trust between the two countries as the reason Hungary delayed approving Sweden's application to join NATO. Previously, the two countries had disagreements because Sweden criticized some of Hungary's internal issues.

Hungary is the last NATO member that has not approved the admission of Sweden. If the Hungarian parliament approves Stockholm's application next week, Sweden will be eligible to become NATO's newest member

According to a statement from the Swedish government, the contract to lease 14 Gripens to Hungary will expire in early 2026 and ownership of the aircraft will then be transferred to Budapest. Under the new agreement, manufacturer Saab AB will deliver four more aircraft of this type to Hungary and Sweden will also provide support and logistics for the Hungarian air force until 2036.

Sweden and Finland both applied to join NATO in May 2022 after Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine. Finland was admitted to the bloc in April 2023, causing NATO's border with Russia to double. Meanwhile, Sweden's accession process faces more obstacles.