Stoltenberg: ‘My aim’ is for Sweden to join alliance by July

Sweden could still become a NATO member by summer, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told POLITICO as Finland moved ahead on its own to join the military alliance, Report informs.

The two Nordic countries initially applied to join NATO together last year, but their fates diverged on March 30 after Türkiye ratified Finland’s bid while leaving Sweden behind - the product of a lingering dispute over the country’s support for Kurdish groups and limitations on arms exports.

Stoltenberg insisted in an interview that Sweden could still get its own green light after Türkiye’s May elections. Türkiye’s relationship with Sweden has grown especially contentious ahead of the elections, following a Quran-burning protest in Stockholm earlier this year.