Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson plan to “review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible,” the White House said in a statement on Saturday. The leaders will also discuss the war in Ukraine and issues related to China.
Sweden and neighboring Finland abandoned their longstanding military neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and applied to join NATO, seeking protection from the organization.
Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia, joined NATO in April. Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has seen its ascension delayed by objections raised by the governments of Turkey and Hungary. NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand.
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has resisted giving his new approval to the Swedish incorporation. His government accuses Sweden of being too lenient towards groups he says pose a threat to Turkey’s security, including Kurdish militant organizations and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.
The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has alleged that Swedish politicians have told “blatant lies” about the state of their country’s democracy. High-ranking Hungarian officials have said they support Sweden’s membership and have also made vague demands of Stockholm as conditions for granting approval.
