Sweden must join NATO now, German defence minister says

BRUSSELS, Feb 15 (Reuters) – Sweden’s planned joining of the NATO military alliance is overdue and needs to happen now, Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.

“Any further delay is straining everyone’s patience”, Pistorius told journalists ahead of a NATO ministers’ meeting in Brussels.

Sweden’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that he expects that Hungary will soon approve the Swedish NATO membership application.

“We welcome that Turkey has completed its ratification process, and expect Hungary to follow shortly,” Tobias Billstrom said in a speech to parliament.

Hungary is the only NATO member that has not approved Sweden’s application to join the alliance, with the ruling nationalists citing what they call undue Swedish allegations that they have eroded democracy in Hungary.

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