Biden to host Swedish PM to discuss NATO accession and Ukraine

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden will host Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson next week to discuss transatlantic security cooperation and the war in Ukraine, the White House announced on Saturday.

The two leaders will "discuss our growing security cooperation and reaffirm our commitment that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement regarding the July 5 meeting, AFP reported.

Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022, three months after Russia
invaded Ukraine, but its membership bid, which must be ratified by all 31 member states, has been blocked by Turkey and Hungary.

Western officials had hoped to officially welcome Sweden into the alliance by the time of the NATO summit in Lithuania on July 11 and 12. But earlier this week, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan condemned Sweden for allowing a protest during which a man burned pages from the Quran, further clouding Stockholm's chances of quickly joining NATO.

"I am delighted that President Biden is inviting us to a meeting next week, before the NATO summit in Vilnius in two weeks," Kristersson said.

"The focus of the visit will be on Sweden's accession to NATO," he added.


At the White House on Wednesday, Biden and Kristersson will also "discuss our shared
commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia's brutal war of aggression," the White House said.