Turkey lifts NATO objections on Sweden, Finland

Turkey agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders’ summit in Madrid. The move came after NATO secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, held a meeting between the Presidents of Turkey, Finland, and Swedish Prime Minister. The three leaders had signed a joint agreement to break the logjam. Turkey has demanded that Finland and Sweden extradite wanted individuals and lift arms restrictions imposed after Turkey’s 2019 military incursion into northeast Syria. Under NATO treaties, an attack on any member would be considered an attack against all and trigger a military response by the entire alliance.