A group of senators from both political parties in the United States visited the capital of Hungary on Sunday and urged the nationalist government to promptly approve Sweden’s bid to become a member of NATO.

Hungary is the only one of NATO’s 31 existing members not to have ratified Sweden’s bid. The Hungarian government faces mounting pressure to act after delaying the move for more than 18 months since admitting a new country to the military alliance requires unanimous approval.

The senators who were visiting announced that they planned to present a united resolution to Congress denouncing the reported decline in democracy in Hungary and calling on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government to remove its barrier to Sweden’s trans-Atlantic integration.

“By joining, Hungary and its prime minister will be greatly contributing to the cause of freedom for nations around the world,” stated Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, during a press conference held at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest.

The decision, initially disclosed on Sunday by The Associated Press, was written by Tillis and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut also accompanied them on their trip to Budapest.

In recent weeks, Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, a Democrat and leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested imposing penalties on Hungary for their actions. He also referred to Orbán as the most untrustworthy member of NATO.

According to the resolution, which was acquired by the AP, the senators acknowledge Hungary’s potential to contribute to European and trans-Atlantic security. However, they also highlight Hungary’s failure to fulfill its previous commitment of not being the last NATO ally to approve Sweden’s membership.

The resolution states that Hungary is the only NATO member state who has not yet approved the accession of Sweden to NATO. This goes against their commitment to not be the last to approve such accession, and puts trans-Atlantic security at risk during a crucial time for peace and stability in Europe.

Orbán, a staunch nationalist who has led Hungary since 2010, has said that he favors making Sweden part of NATO but that lawmakers in his party remained unconvinced because of “blatant lies” from Swedish politicians on the state of Hungary’s democracy.

However, during a speech addressing the nation in Budapest on Saturday, Orbán suggested that the Hungarian legislature may soon change their stance.

He mentioned that it is positive that our disagreement with Sweden is coming to an end. We are making progress towards approving Sweden’s membership in NATO at the start of the spring session of Parliament.

Shaheen expressed disappointment that the Hungarian government did not accept invitations to meet the delegation on Sunday. However, she remains hopeful and optimistic that Sweden’s accession will be ratified on Feb. 26 when Hungarian lawmakers reconvene.

Murphy stated that it was “odd and worrisome” that Orbán’s administration declined to meet, but ultimately, the responsibility falls on the leader who has been in power for a long time to push for a vote.

The speaker stated that our political knowledge here is sufficient to understand that if Prime Minister Orbán desires this to occur, then the parliament has the ability to progress.

The senators’ resolution criticizes Orbán’s increasingly warm relations with Russia and China, and notes that while Hungary has opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees fleeing Moscow’s invasion, it has also “resisted and diluted European Union sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation.”

Orbán, who is often viewed as the EU’s top ally of the Kremlin, has faced ongoing criticism for disregarding the bloc’s guidelines on democratic practices and the principles of law. In response, the EU has suspended billions of funds from Budapest due to reported violations of its regulations.

The government of Hungary has taken a more confrontational approach towards President Joe Biden’s leadership, claiming that the United States is trying to manipulate Hungarian society.

Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, stated on Friday that he was pleased with the visit from the senators. However, he added that attempting to pressure Hungary would be futile as they are an independent nation.

Szijjártó expressed his satisfaction with their arrival, as it allows them to witness firsthand that the portrayal of Hungary in the liberal American media is completely false.

Source: voanews.com