(RED STATE) – One of the peculiarities of joining NATO is that any new member must receive an affirmative vote from all the other members. One negative vote has the same effect on an application as blackballing a fraternity pledge. So, as Finland crept closer to applying for NATO membership and Russian President Vladimir Putin and his henchmen became more shrill and incoherent in their threats, many thought Hungary’s Viktor Orban, coming off a major electoral victor on April 3 (see Hungarian Election Results Send the Left Into Fits of Rage and Viktor Orban’s Election Is Not a Win for Putin or a Loss for Zelensky and NATO, It Is a Win for Hungary), would carry Putin’s water for him and prevent Finland from joining NATO particularly since Finland and Hungary have recently engaged in heated rhetoric, with Finland accusing Hungary of violating the EU Charter.
On Wednesday, Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö called Viktor Orban to discuss Hungary’s support for a possible Finnish application for membership.