Swedish premier says he will meet with his Hungarian counterpart, but 'not on its NATO accession' bid

By Alexandra Ernberg

IZMIR, Türkiye (ΑΑ) – Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said he will not negotiate NATO membership with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban during their meeting in Brussels next week.

Kristersson will meet with Orban one-on-one in Brussels, where he will attend a European Council meeting on Thursday.

"We are not negotiating NATO membership, but we can discuss how we can best cooperate as NATO members," Kristersson told Sweden’s TV4 on Friday.

"However, I'm considering that Orban confirmed only a few days ago that they will approve Sweden’s (NATO membership). We have a lot to discuss," he said.

Orban had earlier this week invited Kristersson to visit Hungary.

Kristersson said he is willing to travel to Budapest and meet with Orban. However, due to his busy schedule in the coming weeks, the next suitable opportunity to meet him will be at the EU Council meeting in Brussels.​​​​​​​

"We'll see each other on Thursday next week at the European Council and we can begin discussions then," he said.

When asked about the possibility of visiting Budapest, he said, "Then we have to find a suitable date for this… it is not done in a hurry. I expect Oban's calendar to be quite full, just like mine."

Earlier on Wednesday, Orban informed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that his government supports Sweden's membership application and will push parliament to vote in favor of it.

His comments came a day after the Turkish parliament approved Sweden's membership to the military bloc.

"It is good… very good. It is a significant step forward, a labor victory, but we are not yet there. We only have one country left," Kristersson told the broadcaster.

“We have shown to Türkiye that we take the fight against terrorism seriously, and they had some valid reasons for their position. We have made a really big effort to show other countries that we take their security concerns as seriously as we do our own.”

The application must now be approved by Hungary before Sweden can join the alliance as a full member.

"Sweden will be joining NATO very soon. Unfortunately, I do not have a date. We're talking about a short timeline," Kristersson explained.

The Hungarian parliament is closed until Feb. 26, but it can be convened in an emergency if a majority approves.