US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday reaffirmed their wish for Sweden to join NATO.

During a meeting in Washington, DC, the two leaders “underscored their shared desire to welcome Sweden to the Alliance as soon as possible,” according to a White House readout.

Sweden signaled its intention to join NATO in May last year following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine but its accession is being blocked by Turkey and Hungary.

The White House readout said Biden and Stoltenberg also discussed “the implications of Russia’s war on Ukraine for transatlantic security and the importance of continuing to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense.”

"They welcomed the support that Allies and partners are providing bilaterally to help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression," it added.Earlier, Stoltenberg said Ukraine's recent gains on the battlefield underscored the need for continued Western assistance to give Kyiv a "stronger hand" in any future negotiations with Moscow.

The meeting Tuesday comes ahead of a NATO Summit in Vilnius in July.