Macron Visits Stockholm to Tackle Sweden's NATO Membership

French President Emmanuel Macron is in Sweden for a two-day visit to the Nordic nation, with the main objectives being the country's NATO membership and the war in Ukraine.

On Tuesday (Jan. 30), Macron was received by Swedish monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf, at Stockholm's royal palace.

He would also discuss the future of European security at a military academy in the Swedish capital together with Carl Gustaf and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the Associated Press reported.

After Sweden, Macron is scheduled to travel to Ukraine in February.

Macron Talks about Sweden's NATO bid, War in Ukraine

It was earlier reported that Turkey has approved the Swedish application to become part of NATO, with Hungary being the only nation in the bloc yet to approve it.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of neutrality and military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO, with Finland entering the alliance last year.

The French president initially was to travel to Sweden in late October, but the visit was postponed due to the Gaza war that began with Hamas's attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Meanwhile, back in France, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal was left behind after being ordered by Macron to deal with the protesters attempting to besiege Paris and other regional centers as part of a larger farmers' revolt across Europe.