Turkey agreed to stop blocking Sweden¡¯s NATO bid and will work to ensure the Nordic country¡¯s accession in the near future, bolstering the defense alliance¡¯s effort to put forth a united front in response to Russia¡¯s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey will ask its parliament to advance Sweden¡¯s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ¡°as soon as possible,¡± alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Monday following months of arduous negotiations over its demands.
The about-face comes at a crucial moment for NATO, which will hold a two-day summit starting Tuesday. The assembled leaders ¡ª including U.S. President Joe Biden, still the alliance¡¯s most powerful figure ¡ª are eager to use this week¡¯s meeting to signal that the conflict in Ukraine has only strengthened NATO.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.