Hungarian Parl't To Reconvene Early; No Guarantee Of Sweden Ratification

The Hungarian National Assembly will convene on Monday 5 Feb, ahead of the scheduled date of 26 Feb, as opposition lawmakers seek to push forward the ratification of Sweden's NATO accession bid. Hungary sits as the only NATO member state that has not approved Sweden's ratification, and has come under increasing pressure to do so following Turkey's sign-off in January.

• Reuters reports, "...it was not clear if ruling Fidesz party lawmakers, who hold a large majority in parliament, would attend the extraordinary meeting, meaning it would not be able to ratify Sweden's bid. [...] Earlier on Thursday, Orban's chief of staff said Fidesz lawmakers wanted to see steps from Sweden to strengthen confidence before they can approve its NATO bid. He did not elaborate on what those steps were."
• Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson is set to meet with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban at some point today on the sidelines of the special European Council summit. Following Orban's apparent relenting in approving EUR50bn in EU aid to Ukraine, there will be hopes from Sweden and NATO members that the pressure put on Hungary over Ukraine aid can also push Orban's party to speed up the ratification process.