NATO chief upbeat that Sweden could be ready to join the alliance by March

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is upbeat about Sweden’s chances of being ready to join the military organization by March. Stoltenberg said Friday that he’d received positive signals this week from holdouts Hungary and Turkey. Sweden set aside decades of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to seek protection under NATO’s security umbrella. All 31 allies must agree for it to join, but Turkey and Hungary have held up proceedings. Stoltenberg says Hungary’s prime minister told him that parliament will convene at the end of February to ratify Sweden’s accession. He says he’s “absolutely confident, and I count on Hungary.” Membership formalities were wrapped up in Turkey on Thursday.