Sweden and Hungary sign fighter jet deal ahead of NATO vote

Hungary and Sweden enhanced their military cooperation on Friday (23 February), just days before the Hungarian parliament is expected to vote on the Nordic country’s NATO bid on Monday.

With this agreement, Hungary will now be able to buy four more Swedish-made Jas 39 Gripen aircraft and extend its current support and logistics agreement by ten years, from 2026 to 2036.

The 14 Gripen aircraft Hungary already uses are part of a lease-purchase agreement and will be fully transferred to Hungarian ownership in 2026.

The deal was signed during a visit of the Swedish prime minister to Budapest. Hungary’s Prime minister Viktor Orban had extended an “invitation” to his colleague on grounds to “negotiate” the country’s membership, which the latter refused.

The Swedish authorities have stated on several occasions in recent weeks that Stockholm’s NATO bid was “not a matter of negotiation”, as Sweden has fulfilled all its obligations in this area.

They had however agreed to discuss military cooperation in general, as the defence minister told Euractiv last week.

According to the contract, negotiations have been underway since 2021. No specific hurdle has been reported – in July 2022, Stockholm authorised the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration to sign the agreement, leaving it unclear how this deal plays into Sweden’s NATO accession bid.

The visit nevertheless took place just a few days before the Hungarian parliament is expected to vote finally on Sweden’s NATO bid on Monday (26 February) after months of delays.

Crucial NATO vote 

After Turkey ratified Sweden’s NATO bid in January, Hungary remained the only NATO member not to have green-lighted its accession, with the ruling Fidesz party repeatedly delaying a vote, citing grievances over Sweden’s criticism of Budapest’s rule of law record.

Orbán hinted there might be progress.

“If Sweden does not try to reprimand Hungary and tell Hungarians how to live, the countries can work together in an alliance,” Orbán said to radio Kossuth ahead of the meeting with his Swedish counterpart.

Asked why Hungary had dropped its opposition to Sweden’s membership of the NATO defence alliance, the Hungarian prime minister reiterated that he had not changed his mind on signing the defence agreement, rather he had insisted on a necessary lengthy evolution.

“Being members of NATO means that we are prepared to die for each other. It is based on mutual respect. Taking that process at the appropriate pace has been wise,” Orbán said, adding that the slow ratification pace has given both countries “time to rebuild trust”.

According to Euractiv’s information, it appears that the Hungarian prime minister’s parliamentary majority will vote in favour of Sweden joining NATO.

Hungarian show of force

“The Swedish Prime Minister’s visit to Budapest is a Hungarian show of force which ultimately benefits the Hungarian Prime Minister,” a source close to the matter told Euractiv.

“Orbán wants to show that it was he who let Sweden join NATO, at a complex moment in Hungarian politics,” the source added.

Hungary was recently rocked by a major political scandal that led to the resignation of Katalin Novák, the country’s president and close Orbán ally, following outrage over a pardon granted to a man implicated in a child sexual abuse case.

Máté Kocsis, leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group, announced on Thursday that the Fidesz-KDNP will nominate Tamás Sulyok, president of the Constitutional Court, as head of state to replace former president Novák, whose term of office officially ends on Monday.

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet/Nathalie Weatherald]

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