WASHINGTON (AFP) – The Pentagon on Wednesday urged Turkey and Hungary to quickly ratify Sweden’s NATO membership bid, which has been blocked for months due to a series of disputes with the two nations.

Highlighting the U.S. support for Sweden on a visit, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the U.S. had increased its military presence in the Scandinavian country. Ending two centuries of neutrality and military non-alignment, Sweden and neighboring Finland announced bids to join NATO in May 2022. But while Finland managed to become the 31st member of NATO on April 4, Sweden’s bid still faces opposition.