US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, during a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, urged the government in Ankara to favor Sweden’s admission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, according to a briefing note made public by his services.

The head of American diplomacy also mentioned in their discussion that it is important to extend the validity of the agreement on the export of grain of Ukraine through the country’s ports on the Black Sea, by virtue of the agreement with Russia for the conclusion of which the UN and the government mediated of Turkey, according to the announcement.

Earlier yesterday, US President Joe Biden said he was “looking forward” to Sweden joining the alliance as he welcomed the Scandinavian country’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson, but doubts remain that Ankara will lift its veto in time for the Nordic state to join before from the NATO summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, next week (Tuesday 11th-Wednesday 12th July).