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Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said tonight he is convinced the US will soon be able to call Sweden and Finland NATO allies.

Mr Blinken said that the two nations – which have made bids to join the alliance – are already integrating into the work
of NATO.

“This is not a bilateral issue between the United States and
Turkey. And it’s not going to turn into one,” he said,
adding that Finland and Sweden have had a productive process
working with Turkey to address concerns.

“I have every expectation that both will formally become
members soon.” 

Finland and Sweden both asked to join NATO in the
wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but long-time member Turkey
refused to endorse their request until a number of demands were
met.

These included taking a tougher stance against Kurdish militants
and removing a ban on arms sales. 

NATO makes its decisions by consensus, meaning that the two
Nordic nations require the approval of all 30 alliance member
states. 

Only Turkey still stands opposed to their membership,
though Hungary has also yet to ratify it.