Blinken, the US equivalent of a foreign minister, spoke warmly during the speech of Finland as Nato’s 31st member state, before expressing his confidence that Sweden would soon follow.
“Nato added Finland as its 31st ally, and we will soon add Sweden as the 32nd,” Blinken said. “As we head into the Nato summit in Vilnius, our shared message will be clear. Nato allies are committed to enhance deterrence and defence. Nato’s door remains open to new members, and it will stay open.”
Blinken’s speech came as it emerged that Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg would visit Turkey at the weekend to attend the inauguration of re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and hold talks with him, adding on the pressure on Erdogan to drop his opposition to Sweden joining Nato.
Stoltenberg on Thursday said during a Nato foreign ministers’ meeting in Norway that he would soon visit Ankara to work towards Sweden joining “as early as possible”, after speaking with Erdogan by phone earlier this week.
In his speech, Blinken detailed the extent to which Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had failed, diminishing Russia’s influence internationally, weakening its economy, and uniting its enemies.
He spoke at length of how the lands allied behind Ukraine had pulled together, sending weapons, imposing sanctions, and punishing Russia by isolating it internationally.
“Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” he said. “Has been a strategic failure, greatly diminishing Russia’s power, its interests and its influence for years to come.”
Blinken arrived in Oslo earlier this week, going on to visit Luleå for a trade meeting between the US and the EU, where he also met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.
He then moved on to Helsinki, where he has on Friday held meetings with Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin and its foreign minister, Pekka Haavistö.
The Nato statement issued on Friday said that Stoltenberg would attend Erdogan’s inauguration on Saturday. The Turkish president was last week re-elected to serve another five-year term.
The statement said the visit would extend into Sunday and Stoltenberg would “have bilateral meetings with President Erdogan and with senior Turkish officials”.
Turkey has dragged its feet over admitting Sweden to the military alliance, which can only admit new members if all existing members agree unanimously.
Finland, which had originally hoped to join in lock step with Sweden, formally joined the alliance alone in April.
Erdogan has accused Sweden of being a haven for “terrorists”, especially members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström on Thursday said his country has fulfilled all its commitments to join, and “it is time for Turkey and Hungary
to start the ratification of the Swedish membership to Nato”.
Many of the ministers who attended the Oslo meeting said they wanted to see Sweden join before a Nato summit in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius on July 11-12. Stoltenberg has said that goal was “absolutely possible”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose country is the dominant member of Nato, also said on Thursday that “we fully anticipate” Sweden joining by the Vilnius summit.
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