NATO now consists of 32 members, a strong alliance now that the Hungarian parliament ratifies Sweden’s bid

The bid was approved by parliament with 188 votes in favor and six votes against the Swedish bid.

FILE – Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, left, speaks during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Swedish government headquarters Rosenbad in Stockholm, October 24, 2023. The Hungarian parliament on Monday, February 26, approved Sweden’s application to join NATO well. 2024, paving the way for the Scandinavian country to become the 32nd member of the alliance. (Jonas Ekstromer/TT News Agency via AP, File)

Sweden now part of NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) added another member when the Hungarian parliament on Monday, February 26, endorsed Sweden’s NATO bid, removing the last obstacle to an expansion of the military alliance in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The bid was approved by parliament with 188 votes in favor and six votes against the Swedish bid.

Reacting to the development, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said it was a “historic day”.

Ulf Kristersson posted on X: “Today is a historic day. The parliaments of all NATO member states have now voted in favor of Swedish accession to NATO. Sweden stands ready to assume its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security.”

Today is a historic day. The parliaments of all NATO member states have now voted in favor of Swedish accession to NATO. Sweden stands ready to assume its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security.

— Swedish PM (@SwedishPM) February 26, 2024

Earlier on February 17, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary announced that the Hungarian parliament could ratify Sweden’s NATO membership when it meets for its new session later this month, as reported by Al Jazeera.

“It is good news that our dispute with Sweden will soon be settled,” Orbán said in his state of the nation speech in Budapest on Saturday, adding: “We are moving in the direction we set at the start of the spring session of parliament had adopted. we can ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO.”

In May 2022, Sweden made a dramatic policy change in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by applying to join NATO, Al Jazeera reported.

Hungary was then the only NATO country that had not approved the Swedish application, while all other NATO members supported this process.

Turkey was the only other country that had not approved membership, but last month the Turkish parliament approved Sweden’s accession.

In May 2022, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership, shortly after Russia launched military operations in Ukraine in 2022. Finland became a NATO member in April 2023.

Orban is considered the European leader closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Initially, Orbán hinted that he was not opposed to Sweden joining the bloc before moving to stall it, according to a CNN report.

NATO is a fearsome intergovernmental military alliance of 31 member states, now 32 including Sweden. Thirty European and two North American countries are members. NATO was founded in the aftermath of World War II and the organization implemented the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington, DC on April 4, 1949.