Biden Tells Erdogan He Backs Sweden’s NATO Bid Ahead of Vilnius Summit – News18

U.S. President Joe Biden told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that he’d like to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible. That’s according to the White House, which said the two leaders discussed a range of issues over the phone on Sunday ahead of an upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Membership to the alliance requires unanimous approval by all NATO members and Hungary and Turkey have yet to clear the way for Sweden. Turkey accuses Sweden of harboring members of militant groups, mainly supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, who Erdogan says organize demonstrations and finance terrorist groups.

Swedish officials say their nation is no safe haven for terrorism. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg signaled he would convene a meeting between Erdogan and the Swedish Prime Minister in Vilnius on Monday, before the summit officially starts.

Biden will hold talks with NATO leaders on Tuesday and Wednesday. During the summit, allies aim to show support for Ukraine and give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a sense of what will have to be done to gain NATO membership sometime in the future.

In a CNN interview previewing his trip, Biden urged caution for now on Ukraine’s drive to join NATO, saying the alliance could get drawn into the war with Russia due to NATO’s mutual defense pact.

According to Zelenskiy, an invitation would send a message that the Western defense alliance is not afraid of Moscow.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)