Sweden hopes to gain NATO membership before Vilnius summit

Sweden's defense minister Pål Jonson said his country's top priority is to gain full NATO membership before the allied leaders gather for their next summit.

“The Swedish government's highest priority is to become a full-fledged member of NATO as soon as possible. We're hopeful that we can become it by the Vilnius Summit,” the minister said.

NATO wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time U.S. President Joe Biden and other allied leaders meet July 11-12 in Vilnius, Lithuania, but Turkey and Hungary have yet to endorse the move. All 31 member countries must ratify a candidate’s accession protocol for it to join the alliance.