Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership bids and the Turkish roadblock

On Friday Finland and Sweden’s prime ministers said they will join NATO at the same time, presenting a united front to Turkey which has raised questions about both their applications.

All NATO members, besides Turkey and Hungary, have approved their bids.

The new Swedish government has also stated that it will fulfill all requirements under a deal signed earlier this year with Turkey to join the alliance, a key priority for the country amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier in October, however, Turkish President Erdogan said that his country still opposed Sweden’s bid.

Dr. Paul Levin, the director of the Institute for Turkish Studies at Stockholm University in Sweden, joins Thanos Davelis to break down why Turkey is still holding up the Nordic countries’ accession, and look at how this is playing out in Sweden and across the alliance.