Sweden closer to joining NATO after Turkey removes objection: Live Ukraine updates

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is withdrawing his country's longstanding opposition to Sweden's NATO bid, paving the way for the Nordic country to join the military alliance and sending a powerful message about its unity on the eve of the summit that begins Tuesday in Lithuania.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, shakes hands with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, right, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg looks on prior to a meeting ahead of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, July 10, 2023. (Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP) ORG XMIT: XVLM168


NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that Erdogan has agreed to send Sweden’s NATO accession protocol to the Turkish Parliament “as soon as possible” after both held talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

“Completing Sweden's accession to NATO is an historic step that benefits the security of all NATO allies at this critical time,'' Stoltenberg said. "It makes us all stronger and safer.”


Erdogan's sudden change of heart came as a surprise not only because Turkey had objected to Sweden's membership since last year, claiming the Swedes were sympathetic to Kurdish militants Ankara considers a threat to national security, but also because earlier Monday he demanded acceptance into the European Union in exchange for signing off on Sweden's NATO membership.

Sweden agreed to help unblock Turkey’s progress toward joining the EU, which has been on hold since 2018.

It's unclear what role President Joe Biden's long phone call with Erdogan on Sunday played in Turkey coming around, but Biden issued a statement Monday welcoming Turkey's decision and saying, "I stand ready to work with President Erdoğan and Türkiye on enhancing defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area.''

Biden has emphasized NATO's solidarity as a bulwark against Russian aggression, which prompted Finland and Sweden to abandon their decades-long policy of nonalignment and seek entry into the alliance after the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Finland became NATO's 31st member in April.

Hungary has not ratified Sweden's accession either, but Stoltenberg did not sound concerned, saying, "I think that problem will be solved.”

“Sweden will become a full member of the alliance,” he added.

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