“We will back Sweden’s accession today,” announced Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a hardline nationalist, as he opened Budapest’s Parliament session aimed at clearing the final hurdle for the Nordic country’s entry into NATO. This move aligned with the last European ally of Vladimir Putin to greenlight accession, reinforcing the alliance’s Baltic shield against Russia. Sweden represented the missing piece to complete a strategic deterrent in Western military unity since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The pressures from Washington, Brussels, and other European partners proved too intense even for Orbán. Hours after the announcement, Parliament ratified the accession by a sweeping majority: 188 votes in favor to 6 against. From Stockholm, Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called the decision “historic.”
Raising Sweden’s flag atop NATO’s Brussels headquarters is more than a ceremonial gesture. The alliance moves to secure the eastern flank of the Baltic region. Norway and Finland share land borders with Russia, measuring 197 and 1,340 kilometers respectively. Sweden, which does not share a land border with Russia, is set to play a pivotal role in Baltic maritime and air defense. The Gotland island, roughly 300 kilometers from Kaliningrad, has been central to NATO’s Baltic operations. This maritime arena is sometimes described as the “NATO’s Baltic Lake,” yet it remains far from tranquil. Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia have warned about the Suwalki Gap, a roughly 90-kilometer corridor that separates Kaliningrad from Belarus. If Russian forces controlled Suwalki, those Baltic states would be land-locked from NATO and the EU. Gotland’s strategic value lies in controlling maritime access and air space over the Baltic region.
El pedregal turco y húngaro
[–>]
Sweden’s path to NATO has been longer than Finland’s. Both Nordic states abandoned their military neutrality in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, about two years ago, and pursued membership soon after. In this transition, Gotland emerged as a key stage for NATO’s large-scale Baltic maneuvers, the most extensive in the alliance’s history.
Finland joined quickly, while Sweden’s path faced Turkish and Hungarian scrutiny. Ankara critiqued Sweden for granting asylum to Kurdish opposition figures and alleged terrorists, which it argued threatened Turkey’s security. Budapest dragged its feet, criticizing what it viewed as Stockholm’s autocratic drift under Orbán’s leadership.
Eventually Turkey approved Sweden’s accession, but the final step depended on Orbán’s ratification. The thaw came after a recent visit by Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson to Budapest, where he and Orbán signed a defense cooperation deal and agreed on the purchase of four Swedish combat aircraft by Hungary.
[—>]