Finally, after much foot- dragging to appease war criminal/ murdering thug Putin, Hungary is in step with the rest of NATO:
Hungary is expected to ratify Sweden's NATO accession on Monday, clearing the last hurdle before the historic step by the Nordic country whose neutrality lasted through two world wars and the simmering conflict of the Cold War.
The Hungarian parliament's vote, which is expected to pass smoothly after a visit by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Friday during which the two countries signed an arms deal, will end months of delays to complete Sweden's security policy shift.Prime Minister Viktor Orban told parliament on Monday that Swedish-Hungarian defence cooperation and Sweden's accession to NATO would strengthen Hungary's security."Therefore, I ask my fellow lawmakers to approve the legislation on Sweden's NATO accession in a vote today," Orban said.
Thank mastermind Putin's arrogant miscalculation for this historic moment:
Stockholm abandoned its non-alignment policy for greater safety within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.With Sweden following Finland into NATO, becoming its 32nd member, President Vladimir Putin has effectively achieved the very thing he sought to avert when he launched his war in Ukraine - an expansion of the alliance, Western leaders have said.
Sweden entering the alliance is a bfd:
The accession of Sweden, which has not been at war since 1814, and Finland is the most significant expansion of the alliance since its move into Eastern Europe in the 1990s.While Sweden has ramped up cooperation with the alliance in recent decades, contributing to operations in places such as Afghanistan, its membership is set to simplify defence planning and cooperation on NATO's northern flank.Sweden also brings resources such as cutting-edge submarines tailored to Baltic Sea conditions and a sizable fleet of domestically produced Gripen fighter jets into the alliance. It is hiking military spending and should reach NATO's threshold of 2% of GDP this year.
Sweden and Finland provide a powerful northern flank for NATO in its deterrence of Russian expansionism and aggression under Putin. They will be welcomed in Washington, DC, at the annual NATO Summit, July 9-11.
This is a very good day for NATO (and for the U.S.).
