Swedish PM-We Are Ready To Restart Talks w/Turkey As Soon As They Are

Speaking in Tallinn, Estonia, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated earlier today that his gov't is ready to restart talks with Turkey on joining NATO as soon as Ankara is. Kristersson: "The first thing we need to do is calm down the situation. It is hard to have good talks when things are literally burning around you...As soon as they are prepared (for talks), we are obviously prepared,"

• The prospect of a swift resolution to the issue was already slim, with Turkey's presidential election taking place in May and incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gaining valuable political capital from the protests in Sweden.
• The devastating earthquakes that struck southern and central Turkey as well as Syria on 6 February, killing thousands, are also set to dominate Ankara's agenda, limiting the likelihood of an agreement with Sweden being reached soon.
• Finnish President Sauli Niinisto lent further support to both Nordic nations joining NATO soon, saying on 7 Feb that "The goal is to be accepted as soon as possible, both Finland and Sweden," and both are proceeding with full "co-understanding"
• Estonian PM Kaja Kallas stated that "For the security of our region, it would be better if both countries joined,"