Hungary pledges swift ratification of Sweden's NATO accession deal

Hungary will ratify Sweden's NATO membership at the spring session of parliament, 20 years of membership has taught the country not to rely on the European Union - these were the two main points of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's annual State of the Nation speech on February 17, Euronews reports.

The spring session of the Hungarian parliament will start on February 26, and Orban specified that the issue of Sweden's NATO membership will be considered at its beginning.

The prime minister also commented on the resignation of President Katalina Novak, who pardoned a man involved in a child abuse case among others. Novak herself admitted it was a "mistake".

He said the president's resignation was the right decision but was a greater loss for the country.

"The vast majority of Hungarians did not accept this pardon. And the president's most important and most difficult task is to maintain national unity."