Erdogan says signals from US, Canada may help Turkey move on Sweden NATO bid

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted on Tuesday as saying that positive developments on the US sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, and on Canada's arms embargo, would help Turkey's parliament move toward ratifying Sweden's NATO membership bid.

After long-time non-alignment, Sweden and Finland asked to join NATO last year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But NATO member Turkey raised objections over what it said was the two countries' protection of groups that Ankara deems terrorists.

Turkey endorsed Finland's membership bid in April but, along with Hungary, it has kept Sweden waiting.

"Positive developments we expect both on (procuring US) F-16s and Canada's promises [on lifting its arms embargo] would help our parliament to have a positive approach on Sweden … All of them are linked," Erdogan told reporters on a flight returning from Hungary,...