Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that Hungary's parliament is set to approve Sweden's NATO membership during its upcoming spring session, commencing at the end of this month. "It's a positive development that our differences with Sweden will soon be resolved," Orbán stated during his annual state of the nation address. "We are moving in the direction where, at the beginning of the parliamentary spring session, we can endorse Sweden's accession to NATO." 

This ratification will come after a delay that has kept Budapest as the final obstacle to Sweden's entry into the defense alliance. The Hungarian Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on February 26. Orbán also revealed that he and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have taken measures to "rebuild trust" between the two nations, though the specifics of these actions were not disclosed. Prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022, marking a historic shift in policy. Hungary remains the only NATO member that has not yet approved Sweden's bid, a process which necessitates the endorsement of all NATO members, straining Hungary's relations with the United States and its allies.

Orbán officially expressed support for Sweden's candidacy in January, but the validation of this support by the Hungarian parliament is still pending. The parliamentary vote is expected to be a mere formality, as Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party maintains a comfortable majority. However, earlier this month, leaders of Fidesz insisted that Kristersson should visit Budapest before the parliamentary vote. Despite this demand, Kristersson has rejected the idea of further negotiations with Budapest regarding Sweden’s NATO bid, although he has expressed willingness to meet with Orbán after Hungary’s parliament approves the application. 

Previously, Budapest had pledged not to be the last to endorse Sweden's membership bid. However, this commitment was abandoned last month when Turkey granted its approval. To elucidate the delay, Fidesz has previously pointed to what it deems as baseless Swedish accusations that the party has undermined democracy in Hungary.