STORY: Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson does not expect Turkey to approve his country’s NATO membership until after Turkey’s presidential elections in May. Visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Wednesday, Kristersson said he would have liked Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance at the same time. But after that it doesn’t look like it anymore. Ulf Kristersson: “Of course we hope for a quick ratification process after the Turkish elections and we are very comfortable with all the support we have received from other NATO allies, including security guarantees.” Olaf Scholz: “It’s very clear: we are very pleased about the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. We want both to become members very quickly and have offered all the support that can be offered to ensure that this process can be carried out quickly Measured against the length of time it has otherwise taken, this is already a fast process. But we do have the goal that this will soon become something and that Sweden will become a member of NATO very quickly. That’s good for Sweden, that’s good for NATO and our alliance, which has reaffirmed its importance and importance in recent months. We need our North Atlantic cooperation for security in Europe.” For decades, Sweden and Finland had insisted on their military alliance neutrality. In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Scandinavian countries now want to join NATO. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated on Wednesday that he would soon give the green light to Finland’s accession. “We will fulfill our promise,” Erdogan said, referring to a meeting with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto planned for the end of the week. Turkey accuses Sweden and Finland of harboring members of terrorist groups. The reservations about the government in Stockholm are greater.