Blinken urges Turkey to immediately approve Sweden's NATO accession

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (not pictured), in Lulea, Sweden May 30, 2023. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstroemer via REUTERS

LULEA, Sweden/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged Turkey to immediately finalize Sweden's accession to NATO, saying the Nordic country had already taken significant steps to address Ankara's objections to its membership.

Blinken also rejected the suggestion that the Biden administration was linking Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO accession to the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, although he said the U.S. Congress was doing so. A day before, the U.S. president also alluded to a link.