(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, FEB 5 - The Hungarian parliament is
set to hold an extraordinary sitting at the opposition's request
Monday to debate Sweden's NATO bid, although the ruling party
plans to boycott the session. Budapest remains the last holdout
to ratify the Nordic country's bid to join the military
alliance, following Turkey's ratification in January. Hungary
has maintained close ties with the Kremlin after its invasion of
Ukraine in February 2022, and while it has said it supports the
Swedish bid in principle, it has been dragging its feet for
months. Prime Minister Viktor Orban is delaying the vote due to
his "personal vanity", Agnes Vadai from the biggest opposition
party told AFP. Orban seeks to "make headlines in the
international press, while making a gesture to Russian President
Vladimir Putin by undermining the unity of NATO and the EU," she
said. The United States has ramped up pressure on Hungary to
ratify Stockholm's bid. (ANSA-AFP).
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