The majority of Finns are in favor of their country joining NATO without waiting for Sweden, which is currently blocked by Turkey, according to a poll published today.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday made it clear for the first time that the Turkish parliament could ratify Finland's accession treaty but not Sweden's, even though they started the accession process together.

A poll by the Taloustutkimus Institute published in the Finnish daily Ilta-Sanomatu shows that 53 percent of respondents believe that Finland should not "wait for Sweden" if its membership ratification process takes longer due to, for example, Turkey's opposition.

Only 28 percent believe that the country should wait for Sweden to enter the military alliance together, according to the survey conducted between January 30 and February 1, in which 1.021 Finnish citizens participated.

The two countries submitted a joint bid for NATO membership in May 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Sweden and Finland's candidacy, which must be approved by all alliance member states, is currently blocked by Turkey, which has raised objections that Sweden has not extradited to Ankara dozens of people suspected of links to Kurdish "terrorist" groups and the failed coup attempt in 2016.

After Erdoğan's statements, the leaders of Finland and Sweden met in Stockholm