US urges Turkey to drop objections to Sweden joining NATO
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Turkey to drop its objections to Sweden joining NATO, saying the Nordic country had already taken significant steps to address Ankara's concerns. President Biden also spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, congratulating him on his re-election and urging him to drop his opposition to Sweden's NATO accession. Turkey has vetoed Sweden's membership, but Blinken said the time was now for Turkey to finalise Sweden's accession. The US Congress has linked Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO accession to the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara.