THE Hungarian government refused to meet a delegation of United States senators to the country on Sunday as they tried to press the nationalist administration into approving Sweden’s application to join Nato.

Hungary is the only one of Nato’s 31 existing members not to have ratified Sweden’s bid. 

The Hungarian government has delayed the application for more than 18 months — admitting a new country to the military alliance requires unanimous approval.

The visiting senators announced they would submit a joint resolution to Congress condemning alleged democratic backsliding in Hungary and urging the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban to lift its block on Sweden joining the military bloc. 

Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said during a news conference at the US embassy in Budapest: “With accession, Hungary and your prime minister will be doing a great service to freedom-loving nations worldwide.”

Joining Senator Tillis on the delegation were Democrats Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Chris Murphy from Connecticut. 

Senator Shaheen said it was “disappointing” that no members of the Hungarian government had accepted invitations to meet the delegation but she was “hopeful and optimistic” Sweden’s accession would be submitted for ratification when Hungarian lawmakers reconvene on February 26.

Prime Minister Orban, who has led Hungary since 2010, has said he favours making Sweden part of Nato, but that lawmakers in his party remained unconvinced because of “blatant lies” from Swedish politicians on the state of Hungary’s democracy.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s foreign minister, said on Friday that he welcomed the senators’ visit, but that it was “not worth trying to exert pressure on us, because we are a sovereign country.”

He added: “We are glad they are coming here because they can see for themselves that everything they read about Hungary in the liberal US media is a blatant lie.”