Explainer-Why is Turkey blocking Swedish and Finnish NATO membership?

FILE PHOTO: NATO, Turkish, Swedish and Finnish flags are seen in this illustration taken May 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish and Finnish hopes of quickly joining NATO have run into an obstacle in the form of objections by Turkey, which holds veto powers over accession to the military alliance.

The three nations reached an agreement on how to proceed in Madrid last June, but Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said Sweden, in particular, is not keeping its side of the bargain.