Turkey's Shift: Backing Sweden's NATO Membership

Turkey has agreed to allow Sweden to join NATO after negotiations with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders of both countries. The US has announced it will transfer F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, seemingly as a trade-off for Ankara's approval of Stockholm's NATO membership. The negotiations were also facilitated by a US-Turkey defense deal. Turkey's decision to veto Sweden's NATO bid was a source of tension in its already strained relationship with the West. The joint statement released after the talks includes commitments from Sweden to address Turkey's security concerns and support efforts to revive Turkey's EU membership talks. Erdogan sought to use Sweden's NATO bid to push for stricter anti-terrorism measures in Western countries and link Turkey's EU and NATO issues.