Image Leaders of NATO, Turkey, Sweden and Finland after meetings in Madrid on Tuesday, on their way to sign an agreement that clears the way for Finland and Sweden to pursue NATO membership. Mr. Erdogan had been blocking the Nordic countries’ NATO bids amid concerns over Sweden’s longtime support for the P.K.K. Both Finland and Sweden had been militarily nonaligned for many years, but decided to apply to join the alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The next steps for Finland and Sweden are clear: NATO will vote on Wednesday to accept their applications. That has in the past taken up to a year, but is expected to be much quicker for the Nordic countries.

Source: International New York Times June 29, 2022 11:29 UTC