Sweden cleared to join NATO after Hungary votes to ratify bid

Hungary’s Parliament voted Monday to ratify Sweden’s bid to join NATO, bringing an end to more than 18 months of delays that have frustrated the alliance as it seeks to expand in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The vote, which passed with 188 votes for and six against, came as a culmination of months of wrangling by Hungary’s allies to convince its nationalist government to lift its block on Sweden’s membership. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban submitted the protocols for approving Sweden’s entry into NATO in July 2022, but the matter had stalled in Parliament over opposition by governing party lawmakers.