Hungary's president signs Sweden's NATO accession bill into law
A look back at the step on 5 March 2024 that cleared the way for Hungary to ratify Sweden's membership of the alliance.
What did it mean when Hungary's president put his name to Sweden's NATO bill? On 5 March 2024, President Tamás Sulyok signed legislation formally authorising the Foreign Ministry to ratify Sweden's accession to NATO, a step within the wider enlargement of the alliance.
The signature came a week after Russia reacted to the prospect of Sweden joining. On 28 February 2024, Moscow announced that it would take retaliatory "military-technical" steps in response to Sweden becoming a member of NATO.
Tension on Moldova's eastern edge
The same day, 28 February 2024, officials in Transnistria, the Russia-backed breakaway region internationally recognised as part of Moldova, appealed to the Russian Duma for more intervention in the territory. They cited increasing tension with the Moldovan government.
The two developments were separate, but both were part of the security picture in the days leading up to 5 March 2024: a NATO enlargement step moving through national procedure in Hungary, and a Russian announcement of countermeasures alongside an appeal from a breakaway region for greater Russian involvement.
