President Biden and different NATO leaders are making a final minute push earlier than an annual summit to deal with essential disagreements that threaten to overshadow the alliance’s unity in opposition to Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.

Among the thorniest points are increasing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization by including Sweden and offering a pathway for membership to Ukraine.

On Sunday, Mr. Biden spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who has objected to including Sweden to the alliance. Mr. Biden, in response to the White House, instructed Mr. Erdogan of “his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible.”

There will probably be one other effort to carry round Mr. Erdogan earlier than the two-day summit kicks off on Tuesday. The NATO secretary common, Jens Stoltenberg, is scheduled to fulfill on Monday with Mr. Erdogan, and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden.

Some NATO leaders additionally hope to approve an effort to carry Ukraine nearer to the alliance, together with the reaffirmation of a dedication to confess it to the alliance. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine — who’s undecided about whether or not to journey to Vilnius, Lithuania, for the summit — instructed ABC News that he wouldn’t go “for fun,” saying in an interview that aired Sunday his nation ought to get clear safety ensures.

But Mr. Biden recently told CNN that it was “premature” to start the method to permit Ukraine to hitch the alliance in the midst of a struggle.

The NATO summit is the primary to incorporate Finland, which utilized to hitch the alliance shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine final yr. Finland became the 31st NATO member in April, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia and including to it a robust navy with a protracted historical past of countering the Kremlin.

Sweden’s bid to hitch has been held up by opposition from Turkey, which has insisted that Sweden take a tougher line in opposition to pro-Kurdish activists and members of an outlawed non secular group whom Turkey considers terrorists.

Here’s what else to observe for this week:

Biden visits Europe: Mr. Biden arrived in Britain on Sunday for conferences with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III on Monday. Once the NATO summit finishes on Wednesday, Mr. Biden will ship a “significant address” on points together with local weather change and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. He will end the journey with a gathering in Helsinki with President Sauli Niinisto of Finland.

Grain Deal’s End Looms: Russian officers are threatening to let the Black Sea grain deal expire on July 17, accusing Western nations of not upholding the a part of the settlement that advantages Russia. The deal permits Ukraine to ship agricultural merchandise via Russian-controlled waters and for Russia to promote sure items that had been blocked by sanctions. It has been prolonged thrice, most recently in May, regardless of Russian officers’ repeated threats to withdraw.