Hungarian MPs have finally approved Sweden's accession to Nato, marking an end to an 18-month saga that has further strained Hungary’s ties with allies, undermined the country’s credibility and reinforced views that Prime Minister Viktor Orban serves Russian interests.

Of 199 members of parliament, 188 votes were in favour and 6 against, all coming from the far right Our Homeland party.

Within a few days, the ratification will now be signed by the country's speaker of parliament and the country's newly appointed president, Tamas Sulyok, who is replacing outgoing head of state Katalin Novak, who resigned over the ruling Fidesz party's paedophile pardon scandal.

Sweden applied for membership three months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, abandoning more than 200 years of non-alignment.

Hungary became the last Nato member to approve Sweden’s membership to the military alliance following Turkey’s approval a month earlier, despite earlier promises that it wouldn’t be the last.

Budapest and Ankara have coordinated their stance on Nato enlargement. Hungary’s parliament swiftly ratified Finland’s membership, but only after Ankara signalled to give its support at the end of March 2023.

The proposal on Nato enlargement, including that of Sweden’s, was submitted to parliament in July 2022 but was put on ice for more than a year and a half.

Independent news site Telex.hu compiled the list of arguments by the ruling Fidesz  over the last 20 months for delaying the ratification. In the first few months, the faction said that a social consultation was underway, later they claimed that lawmakers were busy drafting proposals on a compromise deal with the EU on unfreezing locked funds.

For much of 2023, the ruling party came up with a new narrative saying the faction was divided on the issue.

MPs claimed Swedish politicians were spreading "blatant falsehoods" about the state of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary, referring to a 10-minute educational video produced by a Swedish public-service education broadcaster that described Hungary as a country where democracy was eroding.

Orban had told his Nato partners that there was dissent within the faction, and he respected the position of his party. He went on to argue that debate won’t be settled until Sweden apologises to Hungary.

After Turkey's signalled plans to go ahead with the ratification at the end of January, Hungary set a new condition, which was a visit to Budapest by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Initially Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom turned down the invitation, saying there was no reason to negotiate on Nato accession.

A week later Orban succumbed to pressure at the extraordinary European Council meeting on supporting a €50bn aid to Ukraine and from then on it was just a question of how Hungary's illiberal leader could save face on the Nato enlargement to mitigate damage to his reputation.

Orban continued to play hardball as his faction boycotted an extraordinary session of parliament on the ratification convened by the opposition on February 6.

US Ambassador David Pressman and Nato ambassadors of 15 countries watched from the empty benches from the balcony of parliament. Two weeks later, government officials declined to meet a bipartisan delegation of US senators who visited Budapest last weekend to press Hungary for swift ratification.  

Orban’s open defiance angered allies and furthered strained what has already been frosty Hungarian-US ties.

In a sign of growing frustration, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Benjamin L. Cardin (D), called Orban the least trustworthy member of Nato and raised the possibility of sanctions for obstructing the alliance's expansion.

Reports surfaced that Washington was mulling imposing sanctions on government officials under the Global Magnitsky Act for threatening the security of the US. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in a Facebook message said that any foreign pressure on Hungary was futile as Hungary reimains a souvreign state. Orban has also criticised allies for pressuring his government in recent months to move forward bringing Sweden into the alliance.

Last week Kristersson accepted an invitation by Orban to visit Budapest. On Friday, the parties signed a defence collaboration that included adding four new JAS-39 Gripen fighter to the ranks of the Hungarian Air Force.

The Hungarian prime minister in his opening speech to parliament said the defence-industry cooperation and Sweden's accession to Nato would strengthen Hungarian security.

The stance of the Orban government has left analysts puzzled, given that Hungary had no apparent benefits in obstructing a significant geopolitical decision that would enhance Europe's security.

Turkey came out with straightforward demands, asking Sweden to crack down on local members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Sweden along with other countries relaxed policies on arms exports to Turkey. Ankara also linked the ratification to US approval of sales of F-16 fighter jets.

Some observers said the Hungarian prime minister wanted to showcase his might to his core base as he went to the wall before conceding. The defence agreement with Sweden served him to "claim victory".

Other analysts argued that the delay in the Nato enlargement served Russian interests.

Orban is seen by many as the Trojan horse of Vladimir Putin within the EU. In the military alliance, the most sensitive information has been withheld from Budapest for years due to its strong links to Moscow.

In a symbolic gesture on Monday, opposition members asked parliament to pay homage to Putin’s opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in a prison camp last week. Lawmakers from Fidesz and Our Homeland remained seated during the one-minute tribute.