On Wednesday, Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will be in Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden about the Scandinavian country's bid to join NATO, transatlantic security relations, and Russia's war in Ukraine.
The White House said in a statement on Saturday that the two leaders "will review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible."
They will also talk about transatlantic coordination with China, climate change, and emerging technologies.
"The focus of the visit will be on Sweden's NATO accession," Kristersson noted.
"I am delighted that President Biden is inviting us to a meeting next week, before the NATO summit in Vilnius the following week," he said in a statement.
Sweden, along with neighboring Finland, long ago abandoned its military neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and applied for NATO membership.
However, Stockholm's accession to the military alliance has so far been prevented by two members, Turkiye and Hungary.
NATO requires the unanimous consent of all members for its expansion.
The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has opposed Sweden's bid, accusing Stockholm of being soft on groups it says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish organizations.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that senior diplomats from Turkiye and Sweden will meet at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on Thursday for talks to overcome Turkish objections.
Meanwhile, it seems unlikely that Hungary will agree to Sweden joining the coalition before the fall, according to a report citing parliamentary circles.
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