World News

I can’t help but wonder what leverage is being used on Orban to make him compliant.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

After months of diplomatic wrangling, Ulf Kristersson travelled to the Hungarian capital on Friday at the invitation of the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, for the highly anticipated meeting.

But earlier this week, hours after the ruling Fidesz parliamentary group leader suggested that the issue be raised in Hungary’s parliament next Monday, Kristersson’s office announced Friday’s visit.

The Swedish prime minister, who as leader of the moderates runs a centre-right coalition government backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats, said: “We respect each other’s differences and sometimes reach good compromises.

Sweden applied to join Nato in May 2022, at the same time as Finland, in a historic shift in its security policy prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that February.

While Finland’s ratification went ahead at record speed, officially joining last July, Sweden’s application has lagged behind – not helped by global outcry over a series of public Qur’an burnings in the country last summer.

After Kristersson’s arrival, Orbán posted a picture on X of the pair shaking hands in front of huge Swedish and Hungarian flags with the caption: “Welcome to Hungary, @SwedishPM!”

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