NATO on Thursday (June 1) ramped up pressure on member nation Turkey to drop its objections to Sweden害羞草研究所檚 membership as the military organization seeks to deal with the issue by the time U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts meet next month.

The 31-member alliance is also looking at boosting Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 non-member status in NATO and preparing a framework for security commitments that it can offer once the war with Russia is over.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time allied leaders meet in Lithuania on July 11-12. The allies also hope to make progress on long-term funding and the security plan for Ukraine at the same event, Stoltenberg said.

He said the allies continue to agree that Ukraine will become a NATO member one day but that in the meantime the alliance should provide it with security commitments and substantial new funding.

害羞草研究所淥ur focus today was on how we can bring Ukraine closer to NATO where it belongs,害羞草研究所� he said. Most NATO allies agree that Ukraine will not join while it remains at war.

害羞草研究所淣o one knows when the war will end, but we must ensure that when it does, we have credible arrangements in place to guarantee Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 security in the future and break Russia害羞草研究所檚 cycle of aggression,害羞草研究所� Stoltenberg said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the allies were 害羞草研究所渇ocused on helping Ukraine to build up its medium- and long-term security capacity so that if and when the current aggression settles, Ukraine has the full capacity to deter future aggression.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淣ATO has a role in that in terms of the work it can do to bring Ukraine up to NATO standards,害羞草研究所� he said. He did not elaborate.

Fearing they might be targeted by Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO害羞草研究所檚 security umbrella. Finland became NATO害羞草研究所檚 31st member country in April.

NATO must agree unanimously for countries to join. Turkey害羞草研究所檚 government accuses Sweden of being too lenient on terrorist organizations and security threats, including militant Kurdish groups and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt.

Hungary has also delayed its approval, but the reasons why have not been made publicly clear.

Stoltenberg said that he would travel to Ankara 害羞草研究所渋n the near future to continue to address how we can ensure the fastest possible accession of Sweden.害羞草研究所�

A NATO diplomat said that Stoltenberg and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could meet this weekend, on the sidelines of the Turkish leader害羞草研究所檚 inauguration. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity as the precise details of the talks were not finalized.

害羞草研究所淢y message is that Sweden has delivered, and the time has come to ratify Sweden,害羞草研究所� Stoltenberg told reporters at the conclusion of two days of informal talks between alliance foreign ministers to prepare for the summit in Vilnius.

Others echoed his comments.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 time for Sweden to join now,害羞草研究所� Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt told reporters.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 confident that also Hungary will ratify the accession protocol,害羞草研究所� Stoltenberg said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said it was 害羞草研究所渆ssential that we can finally welcome Sweden as the 32nd member.害羞草研究所� She stressed that the Swedish government had Berlin害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渇ull support.害羞草研究所�

Sweden害羞草研究所檚 foreign minister, Tobias Billstr枚m, said that 害羞草研究所渋t is time for Turkey and Hungary to start the ratification of the Swedish membership to NATO.害羞草研究所� He said that 害羞草研究所渆verything (that) bars Sweden joining NATO will be seen as wine for (Russian president Vladimir) Putin.害羞草研究所�

But speaking to national media, Hungarian Foreign Minister P茅ter Szijj谩rt贸 said: 害羞草研究所淲e are not willing to accept any pressure. The Hungarian Parliament will decide on ratification in a sovereign manner, which the government will of course support.害羞草研究所�

For months, Sweden, Finland and Turkey held talks to try to address Ankara害羞草研究所檚 concerns. Billstr枚m said he expected things to be made clear at a new meeting of this 害羞草研究所減ermanent joint mechanism害羞草研究所� in coming weeks.

He noted that as of Thursday, Sweden had tightened its anti-terrorism laws. It is now it illegal to finance, recruit for or publicly encourage 害羞草研究所渁 terrorist organization,害羞草研究所� or to travel abroad with the intention of joining such groups.

The time may be ripe for movement. Sweden害羞草研究所檚 NATO membership became embroiled in campaigning for Turkey害羞草研究所檚 presidential and parliamentary elections last month. Erdogan won reelection in a runoff vote on Sunday. He also has been seeking upgraded U.S. fighter jets, and Washington signaled this week that they might be delivered.

害羞草研究所淚 spoke to Erdogan and he still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden. So let害羞草研究所檚 get that done,害羞草研究所� Biden said Monday.

On Tuesday, Blinken insisted that the issues of Sweden害羞草研究所檚 membership and the fighter jets were distinct. However, he stressed that the completion of both would dramatically strengthen European security.

害羞草研究所淏oth of these are vital, in our judgement, to European security,害羞草研究所� Blinken told reporters. 害羞草研究所淲e believe that both should go forward as quickly as possible; that is to say Sweden害羞草研究所檚 accession and moving forward on the F-16 package more broadly.害羞草研究所�

Matthew Lee And Lorne Cook, The Associated Press

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