Turkey says Nordic NATO expansion unlikely before June

ISTANBUL (AP) — Sweden and Finland are unlikely to be able to join NATO before June, a senior Turkish official said Saturday.

The Nordic states applied to join the Western military alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but their membership must be approved by all 30 NATO states. Only Turkey and Hungary have yet to approve the deal, with Ankara linking accession to stricter counterterrorism measures.

“It really depends on how fast they move and how wide and deep they move on these issues,” said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman and foreign policy adviser for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“What they’re telling us is the new laws will be fully effective and completed by June, but maybe there are some things they can do before," Kalin said.