During the meeting, Biden expressed his support for Sweden's entry into the alliance and said that he is eager to welcome Sweden into NATO at the earliest opportunity.

The White House issued a statement following the meeting, highlighting the leaders' commitment to addressing climate change and promoting secure telecom infrastructure deployment with trusted suppliers. The statement also said that the leaders pledged to deepen joint research in advanced telecommunications, specifically focusing on 6G technology.

Last year, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership after abandoning their longstanding policies of military non-alignment in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, approval from all NATO members is necessary for membership, and Sweden's bid is still pending clearance from Türkiye and Hungary.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has raised concerns about Sweden harboring members of militant groups, including alleged supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who he accuses of organizing demonstrations and financing terrorist organizations.

Despite Türkiye's objections, Biden said that he is confident that Sweden will eventually be admitted into NATO. "I want to reiterate the United States fully, fully, fully supports Sweden's membership in NATO," Biden said. "I'm confident that we'll get this done."

The meeting between Biden and Kristersson comes as NATO leaders prepare to meet in Madrid next in Vilnius on 11-12 July 2023. The summit is expected to be dominated by the war in Ukraine, and NATO is expected to announce a number of new measures to strengthen its eastern flank in response to Russia's aggression. (ILKHA)