Sweden will not negotiate with Hungary over its bid to join NATO, which Budapest is the last member of the Alliance yet to ratify, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson said today.

Sweden, along with Finland, applied to join NATO in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, but Turkey and Hungary are delaying their entry.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden’s accession protocol on Thursday, making Hungary the only obstacle to Stockholm’s accession to the 31-member alliance.

The prime ministers of Sweden and Hungary will meet next week at the European Council meeting in Brussels, but Christerson said Sweden would not move forward with new NATO commitments.

“No demand related to NATO membership — that is not on the agenda,” Kristersson told Swedish network TV4.

However, he said the two countries have many issues to discuss, including cooperation within NATO, Hungary’s upcoming EU rotating presidency, support for Ukraine and ways to build wider partnerships. from the Swedish-Hungarian air forces that share the same fighter program — the Swedish JAS Gripen.

Orbán is angered by Swedish criticism of the state of democracy in his country under his rule.

He has invited Christerson to Budapest for talks on NATO membership, but also reiterated on Wednesday that his country supports Sweden joining the alliance.

As Christerson said, he does not know when his country will become the 32nd member of NATO, but he expects it to happen “very soon”.