British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is set to visit Sweden this week, where he will renew UK backing for the country’s bid to join Nato.
Accession “must happen as soon as possible” to “make us all safer”, Mr Cleverly said before travelling to Gotland, a strategically important island 320km north of Kaliningrad.
Kaliningrad, a semi-exclave, is home to Russia’s Baltic Fleet.
Objections from Turkey have slowed down the process for Swedish membership.
Turkey’s government claims Sweden has been lenient towards groups it says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish groups and others linked to a 2016 coup attempt.
Nato wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time the leaders of member nations meet for a summit in Lithuania in July.
During his visit, Mr Cleverly will meet Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom and hold a discussion on European security as part of Almedalen Week, an annual event on Gotland.
A look at the Nato military alliance - in pictures
“The UK and Sweden relationship goes back over a thousand years and plays an ever more pivotal role in European security today," Mr Cleverly said before the trip.
“My message to our Swedish friends is clear: the UK is doing all that we can to support their accession to Nato, which must happen as soon as possible to bolster our defences and make us all safer.”
He will also meet Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson to discuss strengthening co-operation, including through joint exercises and training between the countries’ armed forces.
Sweden and Finland applied to join Nato together after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Finland became the 31st member of the military alliance in April after the Turkish Parliament ratified its request.
