Republican Idaho Senator Jim Risch, the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has put a hold on an arms package sought by Hungarian President Viktor Orban until Orban’s government finishes its review of Sweden’s NATO membership, Roll Call reports. All NATO members must approve new members for the alliance to grow.
The move echoes a maneuver Committee Chair Bob Menendez did to a deal for F-16 advanced fighters sought by Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan just won reelection, and he is expected to approve Sweden’s entry into NATO now that political pressure has lessened. However, Orban hasn’t given a clear reason for the delay, and may just follow Erdoğan’s lead.