Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) is in Washington DC. On Wednesday evening, he had a meeting with American President Joe Biden – where Swedish NATO membership was at the top of the agenda.
– We fully support Sweden’s entry into NATO, says Biden in the Oval Office with Ulf Kristersson in the armchair opposite.
The Swedish NATO application is now entering a decisive stage. Tomorrow, a meeting of foreign ministers will be held in Brussels, where both Sweden and Turkey will participate, and on July 11 the summit of the defense alliance will begin in Vilnius.
Biden also says that Sweden is a very important partner for the United States. Kristersson has been invited to the American president with only a few days’ notice.
After the meeting, the prime minister held a press conference at the Swedish embassy. He then explained that the meeting had been both “constructive” and “honest”.
– We received very strong support from the American president for the Swedish NATO application – and strong support for Vilnius being the natural time for a decision, he says.
“Do everything we can”
He adds, however, that nothing that was said at the meeting means that Sweden is now actually closer to membership.
– In the end, it is neither Sweden nor the USA that makes the decision. The USA has made its decision a long time ago, they want to join us in NATO. But it is clear that it is important for other countries when they hear about the strong support that the USA gives to Sweden, he says.
Tomorrow, Thursday, is also an important day in the matter of Sweden’s being or not being in NATO. Then a Swedish delegation will meet their Turkish counterparts together with NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
– Only Turkey can make Turkish decisions and we respect that. We are doing everything we can to make sure this goes well, but we are aware that there are no guarantees, says Ulf Kristersson.
Fighter jets can open the door
Ahead of their meeting, there have been reports that negotiations are underway regarding the US sale of F16 planes to Turkey.
If the deal goes through, it could mean that President Erdogan will be more inclined to approve Sweden’s NATO application.
Echo reports that intense negotiations are underway with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, who has so far resisted and thus blocked the deal.