U.S. blocks HIMARS systems sale to Hungary

The U.S. Senate has blocked the sale of M142 HIMARS rocket systems to Hungary.

Sources of the Washington Post reported that such a decision was made by the U.S. after Hungary’s refusal to approve NATO membership for Sweden.

Hungary has requested 24 HIMARS rocket systems and more than 100 GMLRS missile units at a total value of $765 million.

The sale was blocked by Sen. James E. Risch, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee.

The politician stated that Hungary must allow Sweden into NATO if it wants the arms package.

Typically, Rish rarely holds up arms sales to countries in any part of the world. So the Washington Post believes that such a move indicates growing dissatisfaction with Hungary in the United States.

“The fact that it is now June and still not done, I decided that the sale of new U.S. military equipment to Hungary will be on hold,” Risch said.

In the U.S., all significant arms sales require the chair and ranking members of the Senate and House foreign affairs committees to give clearance and approval.

Only then can the State Department publicly announce the sale.

As previously reported, Turkey and Hungary do not approve Sweden’s application to join NATO, which Stockholm submitted back in May 2022.

Ankara accuses Sweden of insufficient fight against “terrorism”. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on Stockholm to extradite Turkish opposition figures. But Hungary, which depends on Russia for energy, explains its decision by criticizing the Swedish side of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s policy.

As previously reported, Hungary plans to increase defense spending in the 2024 budget because it expects the war in Ukraine to drag on.