US: Sweden and Finland could join NATO at different times

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby made remarks about the NATO enlargement process. Responding to questions from reporters at the White House press conference, Kirby said: “The important thing is that Finland and Sweden join NATO. It doesn’t matter if it happens at the same time or not,” he said.

Kirby noted that the two countries would make “wonderful NATO allies.”

The two countries applied for NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey did not approve the participation of Sweden and Finland on the grounds that they supported terrorist organizations.

Turkey reacted strongly to the provocation of burning the Koran in Sweden, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying in January: “We can give a different message about Finland. Sweden will be surprised when we give a different message about Finland. But Finland should not make the same mistake,” he said.