Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (left) shakes hands with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, Hungary, on Feb 23, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

BUDAPEST/STOCKHOLM - Hungary is expected to ratify Sweden's NATO accession on Monday, clearing the last hurdle before the historic step by the Nordic country whose neutrality lasted through two world wars and the simmering conflict of the Cold War.

The Hungarian parliament's vote, which is expected to pass smoothly after a visit by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last Friday during which the two countries signed an arms deal, will end months of delays to complete Sweden's security policy shift.

Sweden followed Finland into NATO, becoming its 32nd member. 

While Finland became a NATO member last year, Sweden was kept waiting as Türkiye and Hungary raised objections.

Türkiye withheld ratification on Sweden's membership demanding tougher action against militants from the Kurdistan Workers' party it said had made a home in Sweden.

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While Sweden has ramped up cooperation with the alliance in recent decades, contributing to operations in places such as Afghanistan, its membership is set to simplify defense planning and cooperation on NATO's northern flank

Sweden changed its laws and relaxed rules over arms sales to assuage Türkiye. President Tayyip Erdogan also linked ratification with US approval of sales of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, with Ankara now expecting the United States to work on securing the US Congress' endorsement.

Türkiye's signature left Hungary as the final hold-out with Orban facing pressure from NATO allies to fall in line.

The accession of Sweden, which has not been at war since 1814, and Finland is the most significant expansion of the alliance since its move into Eastern Europe in the 1990s.

While Sweden has ramped up cooperation with the alliance in recent decades, contributing to operations in places such as Afghanistan, its membership is set to simplify defense planning and cooperation on NATO's northern flank.

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Sweden also brings resources such as cutting-edge submarines tailored to Baltic Sea conditions and a sizable fleet of domestically produced Gripen fighter jets into the alliance. It is hiking military spending and should reach NATO's threshold of 2 percent of GDP this year.