Turkey greenlights Sweden’s NATO membership, moving the Alliance closer to a stronger defense

The White House mentioned that in the conversation with Landerholm, Sullivan "stressed the robust United States support for Sweden’s NATO accession as soon as possible." The US National Security Advisor lauded the decision of the Turkish parliament, which ratified Sweden's entry into the North Atlantic Alliance.

In his post on platform X, Sullivan added, "This is a significant priority for @POTUS (President Biden). Sweden is a formidable, adept military partner, whose NATO membership will make the USA and the Alliance safer and more fortified".

In addition, Sullivan and Landerholm also discussed their support for Ukraine, attacks by Yemeni rebels on ships in the Red Sea, and the imperative need to boost humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip during the conversation.

The Turkish parliament ratified Sweden's entry to NATO following months of delay, partly due to negotiations around the agreement to sell F-16 aircraft and modernization packages for older models of this type to Turkey.

The US administration formally denied any correlation between these two issues. Still, a representative told PAP on Monday that while no decision is expected to be announced immediately, one could be forthcoming within a few weeks.

After being greenlit by the Turkish Parliament, the sole country that has not ratified Sweden's NATO membership decision is Hungary. On Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, to "negotiate" regarding NATO membership.

When PAP asked about Orban's position, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby noted that Hungary had previously pledged not to delay the process and would not be the last country to agree to the accession.

"I am not going to comment on behalf of the Hungarian government and their actions," said Kirby.