Sweden one step closer to Nato membership after Turkish vote in move set to anger Russia

Sweden is still facing opposition from Hungary over the issue

Turkey’s decision to back Sweden’s application to join Nato is a significant step on the Nordic country’s lengthy path to membership.

However, the country will still have to receive backing from Hungary and its far-right government led by Viktor Orban. The move will also anger Russia, which warned when the idea was first mooted that it would “take retaliatory steps”.

Sweden applied to join Nato alongside its neighbour, Finland, 18 months ago. However, it faced a block from Turkey, over claims of Swedish support to Kurdish separatists.

Lawmakers attend a session before voting on a Bill regarding Sweden's accession to Nato, on Tuesday at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in Ankara. Picture: AFP via Getty Images

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has since been somewhat pacified, after in June, Sweden introduced tougher anti-terror laws, which make it illegal to finance or help terror groups.

Finland, which faced little opposition to its application, joined the alliance in April last year. Its president, Sauli Niinistö, congratulated Sweden, saying the move would improve security in the Baltics.

“I am very glad of the Turkish parliament’s vote to ratify Sweden’s Nato membership,” he said. “Sweden’s membership will improve security in the Baltic region and make the whole alliance stronger. When Sweden is a member, Finland’s membership will also be completed.”

On Tuesday, after a four-hour debate, 287 of 346 MPs voted in favour, 35 against and the remainder abstained. The president is now expected to sign the Bill into law.

Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson also welcomed the vote. He said: “Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of Nato. Positive that the Grand General Assembly of Türkiye has voted in favour of Sweden’s Nato accession.”

Hungary, however, could be a tougher sell. Unlike Turkey, it does not have specific demands – instead, it is more personal.

In March, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovács accused Swedish officials of sitting on a "crumbling throne of moral superiority", in a row concerning Hungary’s democratic principles and its ability to meet standards set by the European Union. The eastern European nation has rolled back on issues such as LGBTQ+ rights in recent times and critics have warned that freedom of the press had been eroded.

There are signs of a thawing in relations. A letter from Mr Orban, inviting the Swedish prime minister for talks in the Hungarian capital Budapest, spoke of how "a more intensive dialogue could contribute to reinforcing trust".

However, Tobias Billström, Sweden’s foreign minister, said the government would have to think carefully about “what the letter signifies” before accepting the invitation.

Finland and Sweden had previously remained neutral, opting to stay out of the alliance. However, that changed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked fears that president Vladimir Putin could have his sights set on further military targets.

Under Nato’s article five rule, if any member country is attacked, it is counted as an attack on Nato as a whole, which means the vulnerable nation would have the military might of 31 powerful countries behind it.

Questions have been raised as to whether article five would be triggered when stray missiles from the Russian invasion have landed on Polish soil. But the move would only be made if a country was actually believed to be being attacked, amid fears of further escalation of the conflict.