Biden Hosts Sweden’s Prime Minister as the Nordic Nation Looks to Join NATO
The issue is critical for NATO, which is loath to show signs of internal division at its annual summit, particularly as the war in Ukraine grinds on. Sweden broke from decades of neutrality following the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year by seeking to join NATO. Mr. Erdogan has also invested himself deeply in the matter, having long insisted that Western nations do not take his concerns about Kurdish terrorism seriously enough.
Every other member of the NATO alliance has approved Sweden’s membership, apart from Hungary, whose foreign minister said on Tuesday that his country would sign off once Turkey had done so, according to Bloomberg.
Western officials have worked for months to placate the Turkish leader, to no avail. And while U.S. officials say the matter is one for Turkey and Sweden to resolve directly, Mr. Biden has said he supports the sale of new F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits that Mr. Erdogan has long sought from Washington.
U.S. officials insist their support for the arms sale is not linked to Mr. Erdogan’s position on Sweden. But after a late May phone call with the Turkish leader, Mr. Biden told reporters:“He still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done.”
Key members of Congress, including the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, say they will block such a deal unless Mr. Erdogan makes way for Swedish membership. Analysts say it is unclear whether Mr. Biden can convince them to change their position.
Source: The New York Times
