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Sweden's King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia visit Strangnas, Sweden, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, on Sweden's National Day. Swedish royals are marking the 500th anniversary of Gustav Vasa becoming Sweden’s king, marking the foundation of the Scandinavian country as an independent nation. (Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish royal family marks Sweden’s 500 years as independent country

By Jan M. Olsen - Associated Press

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Jonson said Tuesday his country's top priority is to gain full NATO membership before the allied leaders gather for their next summit, saying an addition will make the trans-Atlantic alliance even stronger. (Kyodo News via AP)

Swedish defense minister says NATO full membership is top priority

By Mari Yamaguchi - Associated Press

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference after the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, June 1, 2023. NATO on Thursday ramped up pressure on member nation Turkey to drop its objections to Sweden's membership as the military organization seeks to deal with the issue by the time U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts meet next month. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

No breakthrough in NATO-Turkey talks about Sweden joining

Associated Press

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, listens as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gives a statement to the media, at Oslo City Hall, during a meeting of NATO's foreign ministers in Oslo, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Lise Aserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

NATO presses Turkey to drop objections to Sweden’s membership as summit looms

By Matthew Lee and Lorne Cook - Associated Press

People enjoy drinks and snacks in the evening sun on a terrace overlooking Stockholm, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Smoking is prohibited in both indoor and outdoor areas of bars and restaurants in Sweden, which has the lowest share of smokers in the European Union. (AP Photo/Karl Ritter)

Sweden close to becoming first ‘smoke free’ country in Europe as daily use of cigarettes dwindles

By Karl Ritter and Charlene Pele - Associated Press

In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is feeded. Norwegian authorities say that a beluga whale first spotted in Arctic Norway in 2019 with an apparent Russian-made harness and alleged to have come from a Russian military facility has been spotted off Sweden's west coast. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)

Norway says Beluga whale with apparent Russian-made harness swims south to Sweden

By Jan M. Olsen - Associated Press

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speak during a press meeting in Lulea, Sweden, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (Jonas Ekströmer/TT News Agency via AP)

U.S. says ‘the time is now’ for Sweden to join NATO and for Turkey to get new F-16s

By Matthew Lee - Associated Press

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Russia is suspected of spying in the waters of the Baltic Sea and North Sea using civilian fishing trawlers, cargo ships and yachts, the public broadcasters of four Nordic countries said in a joint investigation published Wednesday, April 19. Swedish news agency TT quoted Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson as saying he wasn’t surprised by the revelation of Russia's alleged “illegitimate information gathering.” (Jonas Ekstromer/TT News Agency via AP, file)

Swedes tighten terror laws, likely to help NATO membership

Associated Press

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Russia is suspected of spying in the waters of the Baltic Sea and North Sea using civilian fishing trawlers, cargo ships and yachts, the public broadcasters of four Nordic countries said in a joint investigation published Wednesday, April 19. Swedish news agency TT quoted Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson as saying he wasn’t surprised by the revelation of Russia's alleged “illegitimate information gathering.” (Jonas Ekstromer/TT News Agency via AP, file)

Sweden expels 5 Russian Embassy staff on suspicion of spying

Associated Press

US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, and Sweden's Minister for Defence, Pål Jonson, hold a joint press conference at the Muskö Naval Base, in Stockholm, Sweden, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)

Lloyd Austin hopes Turkey will act on Sweden NATO bid before July

By Lolita C. Baldor - Associated Press

Lawmakers sit at the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm, Sweden, Wednesday March 22, 2023. Swedish lawmakers have overwhelmingly voted in favor of Sweden joining NATO with lawmakers signing off on membership along with the required legislation. The 349-seat Riksdagen, or parliament, on Wednesday voted 269-37 to clear the last required domestic hurdle to becoming part of the 30-member Western military alliance. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish lawmakers vote to endorse country joining NATO

By Jan M. Olsen - Associated Press

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, March 17, 2023. Erdogan greeted his Finnish counterpart in Ankara on Friday amid hopes that their meeting will see Turkey approve Finland's NATO membership bid. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto: Sweden security OK if Finland joins NATO first

Associated Press

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, March 17, 2023. Erdogan greeted his Finnish counterpart in Ankara on Friday amid hopes that their meeting will see Turkey approve Finland's NATO membership bid. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Turkey’s president says he will back Finland’s NATO bid

By Andrew Wilks - Associated Press

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at his presidential palace, in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, March 10, 2022. Erdogan suggested Wednesday, March 15, that his country could soon ratify Finland's application to join NATO, allowing the country to join the military alliance separately from Sweden.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Erdogan hints Turkey may ratify Finland’s NATO membership

By Suzan Fraser - Associated Press

In this handout photo provided by the Turkish Defense Ministry, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, right, and Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen speak to the media after their talks in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. Kaikkonen visits Ankara, meets with his counterpart Akar as Ankara continues to hold up Helsinki's bid to join NATO. (Turkish Defense Ministry via AP)

Finnish president says disputes with Turkey still holding up NATO membership

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends the informal meeting of EU defense ministers at the Scandinavian XPO in Marsta outside Stockholm, Sweden Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

NATO chief in new drive to bring Finland, Sweden in

By Lorne Cook - Associated Press

Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament Csaba Hende talks to the media after a meeting with the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament Andreas Norlen in Stockholm, Tuesday March 6, 2023.. A Hungarian delegation, with members from Prime Minister Viktor Orban's governing party is visiting Stockholm. (Caisa Rasmussen/TT via AP)

Hungarian delegation backs Sweden’s NATO application

By Jan M. Olsen - Associated Press

Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban briefs the media in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. Orban on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, thanked Egypt for its role in capping Europe-bound migration as the two countries inked a series of preliminary agreements in Cairo.(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File )

Hungary further delays vote on Sweden, Finland joining NATO

By Justin Spike - Associated Press

Parliament members attend the plenary session where Finnish Parliament voted on Finland's accession to NATO in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday March 1, 2023. Finnish parliament said yes to Nato, with 184 parliament members voting yes and seven members voting no. One voted empty and seven members were not at the session. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)

Finland’s Parliament gives final approval for NATO bid

By Jari Tanner - Associated Press

FILE - Pipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 2' gas pipline are pictured in Lubmin, northern Germany, on Feb. 15, 2022. Russia clashed with the United States and other Western nations Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 over the Kremlin’s call for a U.N. investigation of last September’s sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Western Europe. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

Russia and West clash over probe of Nord Stream sabotage

By Edith M. Lederer - Associated Press