Hungary under pressure to ratify Sweden's NATO bid after EU deal

Pressure is mounting on Hungary to ratify Sweden's bid to join NATO after Budapest finally joined other European Union states in agreeing on new aid to Ukraine.

Pressure is mounting on Hungary to ratify Sweden's bid to join NATO after Budapest finally joined other European Union states in agreeing on new aid to Ukraine.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he "went to the wall" for his country before agreeing to the EU deal worth €50 billion (US$54 billion) at a summit in Brussels on Thursday (Feb 1) after weeks of resistance.

Hungary had been the only one of the 27 EU member states not to back the deal at a December summit. It is also the only NATO country that has not yet ratified Stockholm's membership application, a process that requires the backing of all members.

Orban, who has better ties with Russia than other EU states and most NATO members, says his government backs Sweden joining the alliance. Now he faces pressure from abroad to accelerate the process.

Opposition lawmakers have called an extraordinary session of parliament for Monday to put Sweden's NATO accession on the agenda. But lawmakers in Orban's governing Fidesz party told Reuters on Thursday they would "wait" with a final vote until a meeting of Orban and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Orban's press chief did not respond to a Reuters query on Friday on when the meeting might take place.