Hungary has confirmed its support for Sweden's NATO bid

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that in a telephone conversation with the head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, he confirmed his support for Sweden's membership in the security alliance, AFP reported.
Budapest remains the latest country to abstain from ratifying Stockholm's bid for NATO membership.
"I have confirmed that the Hungarian government supports Sweden's membership in NATO," Orbán wrote in X.
"I also stressed that we will continue to push for the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favor of Sweden's accession and to complete the ratification as soon as possible," he added.
Orban sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristerson, inviting him to Budapest to discuss the candidacy "as soon as possible".
Last week, Hungary criticized Sweden for not taking steps to strengthen bilateral relations.
Hungary has frequently condemned what it calls Sweden's "openly hostile attitude", accusing Swedish officials of "repeatedly wanting to hit Hungary" on rule of law issues.
Stoltenberg welcomed the "good conversation" with Orbán.
"I welcome the clear support of the Prime Minister and his government for Sweden's NATO membership. I look forward to ratification as soon as Parliament reconvenes," he wrote in X.
Parliament is due to reconvene in mid-February.
Turkey's parliament has ratified Sweden's NATO membership after more than a year of delays that have upset Western efforts to show resolve in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine.
In the coming days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to sign Sweden's ratification document and end Ankara's role in the long-running saga.
Orbán and Erdogan maintained good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the war in Ukraine.
NATO leaders feared the Kremlin was trying to use the two leaders to sow division in the West.
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland became a member of NATO in April last year. /BGNES