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Hungary remains the only member state of the alliance that has not yet ratified Sweden's accession to NATO.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's party has boycotted a session of parliament called by the opposition to ratify Sweden's NATO membership, even as a group of Western ambassadors arrived at the building to demand a vote.
For months, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán repeatedly promised his counterparts within NATO that the country would not be the last to sign Sweden's membership.
But Orbán reneged on the pledge, when Turkey ratified the Swedish offer last month, leaving Hungary alone standing in the way of Stockholm's acceptance.
The Hungarian leader then publicly promised the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, that he would ask the parliament to "finish the ratification at the first possible opportunity. While today he abandoned this promise, not appearing in a session initiated by the opposition with the aim of voting Sweden's admission.
In a symbolic move, a group of 16 diplomatic representatives, including the US ambassador to Budapest, David Pressman, arrived at Hungary's parliament on Monday.
Pressman, who in an interview with the Guardian last month described Washington as "disappointed" by Budapest's failure to act.
" Sweden's accession to NATO is a matter that directly affects the national security of the United States and affects the security of our alliance as a whole. The prime minister vowed to convene parliament and ask parliament to act as soon as possible "Today was an opportunity to do that - and we look forward to watching this closely and for Hungary to act quickly ," said the US diplomat.
The Hungarian delay has deeply irritated Western officials, who have expressed concern over both the length of the delays and the lack of clarity over the reasoning behind Hungary's moves./ TheGuardian
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