Hopes fade for swift Nato accession for Finland and Sweden
- A dispute with Türkiye, which is blocking their bid to join the alliance, appears unlikely to be resolved before a summit in Spain next week
- A quick process had been expected, but Ankara’s objections came as a surprise at as Nato seeks a unified front amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Finland and Sweden discussed their stalled Nato bids with Türkiye in Brussels on Monday, but Ankara dampened hopes that their dispute will be resolved before an alliance summit next week.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met representatives from the three countries to try to make progress on the Nordic nations’ membership applications, which have been blocked by Ankara.
While he described the talks as “constructive” Türkiye made it clear there was still work to be done.
“The Madrid Nato summit is not the deadline, so our negotiations will continue,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin told reporters after the talks.
Even before this latest meeting some observers were playing down the chances of a deal at the summit.
“I think it is possible but it would be very difficult,” said Paul Levin, director of the Institute for Turkish Studies at Stockholm University, adding it would require compromise on both sides.