Two US B-1B Lancer bombers arrived in Sweden this week as Stockholm is awaiting entry into NATO. According to the US military, it marks the first time US bombers landed in the Nordic nation.
“Two Air Force B-1B Lancer supersonic strategic bombers from the 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, landed at Luleå Kallax Airbase, Sweden for the first time in history, June 19, 2023,” US Air Forces Europe said in a press release.
Sweden has been a NATO invitee since June 2022, but Turkey and Hungary have not yet approved its membership. The bomber deployment comes as the US is pushing Turkey to sign off on Stockholm’s bid.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently said Ankara won’t approve Stockholm’s membership over anti-Turkish protests involving PKK supporters that recently took place in Sweden. But the US is still hopeful Sweden will get the green light from Turkey before the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius this July.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday and pressed the issue. According to the State Department, Blinken “encouraged Turkey’s support for Sweden to join the NATO Alliance now.”
In the meantime, Sweden is looking to boost military cooperation with the US and other NATO countries. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson recently announced that his country will allow the deployment of NATO troops on its soil before entering the alliance.
Source: AntiWar.
