A bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators visited Hungary's capital on Sunday to call on the government to approve Sweden's request to join NATO. Hungary is currently the only NATO member that has not yet ratified Sweden's bid, despite facing mounting pressure to do so after delaying the move for over 18 months. The senators, including Sen. Thom Tillis and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, announced plans to submit a joint resolution to Congress condemning alleged democratic backsliding in Hungary and urging Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to lift the block on Sweden's integration into NATO.

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin had previously raised the possibility of imposing sanctions on Hungary for its conduct, calling Orbán "the least reliable member of NATO." The resolution authored by Tillis and Shaheen highlights Hungary's failure to keep earlier promises regarding Sweden's NATO accession and its impact on European and trans-Atlantic security.

Orbán, who has led Hungary since 2010, expressed a willingness to ratify Sweden's NATO accession during a recent state of the nation speech, stating that the dispute with Sweden is nearing a conclusion. Despite no members of the Hungarian government meeting with the U.S. delegation during their visit, the senators remain hopeful that Sweden's accession will be submitted for ratification on Feb. 26 when Hungarian lawmakers reconvene.

The senators' resolution also criticizes Orbán's close ties with Russia and China, along with Hungary's resistance to EU sanctions against Russia. The government's adversarial stance towards the Biden administration has further strained relations between Hungary and the U.S. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó welcomed the senators' visit but emphasized Hungary's sovereignty and criticized what he deemed as misinformation in the American media about his country.

The resolution serves as a reminder of the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Hungary and the U.S. and the importance of Hungary's role in European security as debates continue regarding Sweden's NATO membership.