U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he urged Turkey to allow Sweden's entry into NATO during an introductory meeting on Friday (June 16) with his new Turkish counterpart during a gathering of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, Reuters reports.
Austin said he had a "very short meeting" with Turkey's Yasar Guler on the sidelines of the NATO gathering with an intent to congratulate the newly named minister, but also to "seize every opportunity to encourage him to move forward and approve the accession of Sweden."
Sweden should not expect a green light from Ankara on its NATO membership bid at the Western alliance's summit next month unless it prevents anti-Turkey protests in Stockholm, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Wednesday (June 14).
Speaking at a press conference at the end of the NATO meeting, Austin also said Ukraine's allies should be "patient" as the country wages in counter-offensive against Russia.
Asked about relations with China, Austin expressed optimism that he would eventually hold talks with his Chinese counterpart after being snubbed by Beijing during an event in Singapore earlier this month.
