Stoltenberg confident Sweden and Finland to join NATO

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg believes Finland and Sweden will soon join the alliance with Türkiye’s approval, days after Stockholm said it had done everything it could to satisfy Ankara’s reservations about its membership.

“I’m confident the accession process will be finalized for Sweden and Finland and all NATO allies will ratify the accession protocols in their parliaments. That also goes for Türkiye,” Stoltenberg told reporters on Tuesday after signing a joint declaration to expand cooperation at the alliance's headquarters alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.

He said the membership process generally takes years but all 30 members invited Finland and Sweden to join and sign their accession protocols in July. Since then, 28 countries, except Türkiye and Hungary, have endorsed the move through their national procedures.