Sweden and Hungary move to smooth over tensions ahead of vote on Sweden’s NATO accession

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s nationalist government has delayed holding a vote on Sweden’s membership for more than 18 months, creating tension with Stockholm and drawing mounting pressure from its allies to finally move forward on ratification. Yet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s party this week announced it will vote on ratifying Sweden’s NATO bid on Monday, suggesting the delays — and the diplomatic tensions — could be drawing to a close. While neither Hungarian nor Swedish officials have specified what led to Hungary dropping its objections, there are indications that the two countries are closing in on an agreement for Hungary to acquire Swedish-built military equipment.