UPDATE:
Recent news from Sweden is that it cannot meet Turkish demands that have included extradition for Kurds to Turkey.
“Turkey both confirms that we have done what we said we would do, but they also say that they want things that we cannot or do not want to give them,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a defence think-tank conference.
“We are convinced that Turkey will make a decision, we just don’t know when,” he said, adding that “the decision is in Turkey’s camp.”
. . .In December, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu recognised that Stockholm had taken “positive measures”, but said “other important steps” were needed before its objections could be lifted.
His remarks came a few days after the Swedish Supreme Court refused to extradite a Turkish journalist Bülent Kenes, as demanded by the Turkish President.
https://www.euronews.com/2023/01/08/turkey-wants-things-we-cant-give-them-says-nato-hopeful-sweden
The Finnish Prime Minister says that Finland will not join NATO without Sweden:
“Finland is not in such a rush to join NATO that we can’t wait for Sweden to get the green light,” Pekka Haavisto told reporters.
Secretary of State Blinken has continued to make NATO membership for Finland and Sweden a centerpiece in diplomatic efforts related to the proxy war against Russia. Here are comments from December:
“I’m confident that NATO will formally welcome Finland and Sweden as members soon" . . .Blinken took the opportunity to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to go to war with Ukraine had backfired if he truly intended to push back on NATO expansion.
“As Sweden and Finland prepare to join NATO, we know that he’s failed at weakening our alliance,” he said. “Indeed, he’s only made NATO stronger and bigger.”
Blinken confident in Finland, Sweden accession to NATO | AP News
Approval of NATO membership cannot move forward without Turkey’s approval. It looks like NATO membership for Finland and Sweden is on indefinite hold.
There is no mechanism to expel Turkey from NATO. Attempts to harass Turkey into submission are likely to be counterproductive since Turkey is of great strategic importance in the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Can we expect that any news about the impasse will be ignored by US media?
Or will the official narrative become that NATO membership for Sweden and Finland has never been of any real importance?
