Hungary Not Rushing To Back Sweden’s NATO Membership

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News reporting from Budapest, Hungary

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned Monday that his country isn’t in a hurry to ratify Sweden’s membership of the NATO military alliance because the Nordic nation criticized Hungary’s perceived rule of law violations.

Speaking at the opening of parliament’s autumn session, Orbán demanded “respect” from Sweden and said it had no leverage over Hungary that could pressure his government.

Not even the fact that Hungary’s air force flies Swedish Gripen fighter jets could speed up the vote on Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, he added.

Orbán said Hungary could “switch to other aircraft” if it could no longer lease the planes made by Sweden’s Saab AB.

His outburst came after his government expressed anger over a recent ten-minute video titled “EU and Democracy,” focused on Hungary’s alleged lack of democratic credentials.

The video, used as educational material in Swedish schools, features Márton Gulyás, a prominent critic of the Hungarian government.

He claims democracy in Hungary “has gradually ceased” since 2010, a view echoed by a Swedish member of the European Parliament. Hungary said the movie “crossed all lines.”

SWEDEN QUESTIONS CRACKDOWN

Earlier, Sweden had also questioned Hungary’s reported erosion of the rule of law and a crackdown on media.

The Swedish embassy in Budapest, for instance, condemned a government-backed blacklist of critical journalists, which included the names of a Worthy News reporter and seven other journalists.

Hungary and Turkey are the only two NATO members that have not yet ratified Sweden’s NATO membership bid, a move sparked by the Nordic country’s security concerns after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

Additionally, Orbán criticized neighboring Ukraine’s government under President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He said Hungary would “not support Ukraine on any international issue” until the language rights were restored to the Hungarian minority of roughly 150,000 people in western Ukraine.

Orbán claimed in separate remarks that numerous ethnic Hungarians had been killed or injured after being forced to serve in Ukraine’s army in its battle against invading Russian troops.

And, he complained that Hungary was “deceived” by a European Union plan to allow Ukrainian grain to transit across Hungary after the war with Russia hindered shipments across the Black Sea.

GRAIN IN HUNGARY

Instead, shipments of Ukrainian products ostensibly bound for Africa had been sold in Hungary for lower prices, pressuring local farmers, he noticed.

“Brussels claimed that without Ukrainian grain, serious famine threatened African countries,” Orbán said. “After transit across the Black Sea was made impossible by the war, Hungary opened a solidarity transit corridor at Brussels’ request so that food could get to Africa from Ukraine and across Hungary. Let’s say it straight: They deceived us.”

Orbán recalled that cheaper Ukrainian grain had flooded Hungarian markets, creating a supply glut that had harmed its agricultural industry.

The EU has questioned Orbán’s perceived cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February last year.

Brussels also suspended billions of euros in EU aid to Hungary, citing concerns about the country’s democratic standards.

Orbán has denied wrongdoing and maintains that his country is punished over its strong anti-migration efforts and Christian views on families.

He defended his ties with Russia, saying his nation is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas and oil as well as Moscow’s involvement in the ongoing expansion of Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant.

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