Hungary to ratify Finland, Sweden NATO bids in February, Finnish foreign minister says

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had previously said Hungary's parliament would ratify NATO memberships for Finland and Sweden early next year.

By Reuters December 1, 2022
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Foreign minister of Finland Pekka Haavisto attends a joint news conference, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on November 28, 2022. (Valentyn Ogirenko / Pool via Reuters)

HELSINKI — Hungary has promised to ratify the NATO bids of Finland and Sweden in early February of 2023, Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said on Wednesday.

“This was a positive message … It specifically emphasized that Finland and Sweden are together and Hungary has no preconditions,” Haavisto told journalists in Bucharest where he was attending a meeting with colleagues from NATO countries.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last week that Hungary’s parliament would ratify NATO memberships for Finland and Sweden early next year.

Turkey, the only other NATO nation that has yet to ratify the memberships, has not yet set a date, Haavisto said.

Reporting by Essi Lehto.

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