Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden decided to abandon their long-standing neutrality and try to join NATO, the world’s largest military organization.

But what was expected to be a simple entry has not yet received approval from all NATO members, and will certainly be a major topic of conversation when the Alliance’s annual summit begins in Madrid on Tuesday.

Here are things:

Why do Finland and Sweden want to join NATO?

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its potential threat to the sovereignty of other neighboring nations became even more apparent, forcing Sweden and Finland to seek acceptance into the North Atlantic Alliance for their own protection and to help create a stronger union against Russia.

– A Swedish NATO membership would raise the threshold for military conflicts and have a conflict prevention effect in northern Europe, argues Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde.

The position of these countries on the Baltic Sea, as well as Finland, which shares a border with Russia, make their entry particularly prominent. The Biden administration supports the expansion.

“Finland and Sweden make NATO stronger,” President Biden said last month. “And a strong, united NATO is the foundation of America’s security.”

Swedish officials tell NewsNation …

They believe that they will not be a burden, but rather a great asset to the Alliance, and that they will come with advanced military capabilities and readiness while meeting NATO standards for annual defense budgets.

A Swedish official tells NewsNation that the Nordic countries are some of the only small countries that still build their own fighter jets and submarines.

“We add a lot of military”, says the official and calls Sweden a kind of “underwater superpower” in the Baltic Sea in number of submarines.

Both countries are also familiar with NATO processes, have already trained with NATO troops and participated in previous operations and missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, says a Swedish official.

What are the implications for the United States?

Although the Senate has approved NATO’s expansion, there have been issues of economic turbulence and strains on the US military. Is it worth defending two rich European welfare states, especially given all that is going on at home?

US military leaders claim that their membership will not lead to a permanent deployment of troops in any of the nations, but the expansion will cost money – and the United States may stop accounting for a majority of the bill, which could be in the billions.

The ultimate intention would be to make the US military – and NATO’s military – stronger by merging with each nation’s advanced capabilities. It also sends a clear message to Russia about Western unity.

While domestic issues remain at the center, the war in Ukraine continues to put pressure on the Biden administration to act.

Why is Turkey opposed to their entry?

Most NATO countries will approve enlargement to include Sweden and Finland.

However, the Turkish government has opposed the addition. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is outraged at what he says is support from Kurdish militants from Helsinki and Stockholm, and even calls Sweden a “breeding ground for terrorists”.

Turkish Kurds have an obvious political presence in Sweden, while Turkey opposes the Kurds ‘demands for statehood and has clashed with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for decades, branding them a terrorist organization. For that reason, Turkey refuses to welcome the country to NATO, but talks between the countries continue.

What is expected in NATO this week?

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will take part in a round of talks on Tuesday with leaders of Sweden and Finland, as well as NATO on the first day of the Madrid summit.

After a telephone conversation between Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Erdogan last Saturday, Magdalena says that they are “hopeful of a solution” between the two countries this week.

But a Turkish spokesman repeats these talks “[don’t] means that we will take a step back from our position. “

A Swedish official tells NewsNation that there is solidarity between Sweden and Finland: neither of them will join NATO without the other.

Their offer to join must be unanimously approved by NATO 30 members.