Hungary’s president formally signs the approval of Sweden’s NATO bid, removing last obstacle

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s president has formally signed a bill approving Sweden’s NATO bid, removing the last obstacle after 18 months of delays that frustrated the alliance. The presidential signature on Tuesday was needed to put into force a bill that was passed in Hungary’s parliament last month after months of wrangling to convince Hungary’s nationalist government to lift its block on Sweden’s membership. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a right-wing populist who has forged close ties with Russia, has said that criticism of Hungary’s democracy by Swedish politicians soured relations between the countries. Sweden’s defense minister said the membership “will make Sweden safer and NATO’s stronger.”