Relationship dossier
Hungary
Sweden
Relationship assessment
Gripen cooperation alongside friction over Sweden’s NATO accession
Hungary toward Sweden
+10Hungary has operated Swedish Gripen aircraft under a long-term arrangement and agreed to acquire additional aircraft. The Hungarian parliament delayed ratifying Sweden’s NATO accession before approving it in February 2024.
Sweden toward Hungary
+20Sweden supplied Gripen aircraft to Hungary under a lease arrangement and agreed to provide four additional aircraft. This defense cooperation has been a significant element of Sweden’s bilateral engagement with Hungary.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship combines sustained defense-industrial cooperation around Hungary’s Gripen fleet with a notable political dispute over Hungary’s delayed ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession. These features indicate a mixed but cooperative bilateral structure.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Hungary and Sweden have maintained a substantial defense relationship through Hungary’s use of Swedish Gripen aircraft. Relations also faced friction when Hungary delayed ratifying Sweden’s NATO accession. The aircraft cooperation and the dispute over NATO enlargement point to a mixed relationship, though details of other bilateral cooperation and policy are limited.
Areas of tension
- Hungary’s delay in ratifying Sweden’s NATO accession.
Key developments
Hungary and Sweden agreed to extend their Gripen arrangement, including the addition of four aircraft for Hungary.
Hungary’s parliament approved Sweden’s NATO accession after a prolonged ratification delay.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral defense cooperation beyond the Gripen aircraft are unclear.
- Details of other Hungarian-Swedish government cooperation and disagreements are limited.