- Lloyd Austin is working with international leaders to shore up support for Sweden's bid to join NATO
- The United States defense secretary meets with Swedish leaders as momentum for Stockholm's membership attempt
- The situation comes as Turkey previously rescinded its block of Finland's NATO application that was made at the same time as Sweden's
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is working to shore up international support for Sweden's application to join the NATO military alliance.
The situation comes as the American official is seeking to help the Nordic country to receive approval for its request before July. The efforts aim to convince Hungary and Turkey to stop blocking Stockholm from joining the military alliance.
Lloyd Austin Visits Sweden
Austin met with his Swedish counterparts on Wednesday inside a naval base outside of Stockholm, which was considered to be a rare visit. It also signaled Washington's support for Sweden's NATO membership application.
The defense secretary's trip to Sweden was the first visit of a Pentagon chief to the region in more than two decades. As per Politico, the last time was in 2000, when then-Defense Secretary Bill Cohen visited the region.
The trip also comes as momentum is building for Stockholm's attempt to join the international military alliance. This comes after Turkey dropped its objections to Sweden's neighbor, Finland, from joining NATO.
But Hungary and Turkey are still blocking Sweden's NATO membership. However, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson sat in a tiny, wood-paneled room across Austin and said that he hoped to see Stockholm as a member of NATO before the leaders' summit in July later this year.
In a statement during a press conference in Sweden, Austin said they were encouraging their allies, the two countries blocking Stockholm's NATO bid, to ratify Sweden's accession as soon as possible.
Supporting Stockholm's Bid To Join NATO
Despite the talks, Austin declined to comment on a recent US deal to provide fighter jet upgrades to Turkey. According to the Associated Press, this was meant to shore up the country's support and give it the incentive to let Stockholm join NATO.
On the other hand, Jonson said he hoped his country would become a member of NATO by summer. He also thanked the US defense secretary for supporting America's military during the "transition time into NATO."
Austin's trip to Sweden was also celebrated with Swedish Marines riding small combat boats conducting an amphibious landing exercise. On the other hand, jets and military Black Hawk helicopters made several passes over the ship, and a submarine was also seen nosing to the surface.
Jonson added that his American counterpart's visit to Sweden underscored the US' commitment to Stockholm's security on a "bilateral basis" and allowed his country to showcase its military capabilities.
The American defense secretary said Sweden's accession to NATO would give the military alliance much value. He noted that Stockholm has a highly professional military and has invested in modernization over the last several years.
