U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday called for Sweden and Finland to be accepted into NATO “as quickly as possible,” although his Turkish counterpart dismissed the possibility of any link between their accession and Turkey’s request for F-16 fighter jets.
Turkey has delayed the Nordic countries’ admission to the trans-Atlantic defense alliance, citing concerns over terrorism. Meanwhile, members of the U.S. Congress have tied approval of the F-16 deal to Ankara retracting its opposition to the NATO enlargement.
While acknowledging that Sweden had made constitutional changes in a bid to satisfy Turkey’s demands, he said that more needed to be done to “convince our parliament and people.” Blinken also commented on reports that China is considering military support for Russia in its war in Ukraine. Blinken was in Turkey for the first time since he was appointed two years ago. The trip comes after the country and neighboring Syria were hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6 that has left nearly 45,000 dead.
“We have nearly $80 million in donations from the private sector in the United States, individuals. When I visited the Turkish Embassy in Washington, I almost couldn’t get in the front door because boxes were piled high throughout the driveway to the embassy,” Blinken said.
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