ISTANBUL, June 14 (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday (Jun 14) rebuffed growing international pressure on Ankara to ratify Sweden's NATO membership bid before the Western defence alliance meets in July.

Western officials had hoped Erdogan would soften his position on the diplomatically charged issue after he secured a hard-fought re-election last month.

But Erdogan signalled no major shift in comments released by his office as Turkish and Swedish officials were locked in a new round of talks in Ankara.

"Sweden has expectations. It doesn't mean that we will comply with them," Erdogan was quoted as saying.

"In order for us to meet these expectations, first of all, Sweden must do its part."

Sweden and its Nordic neighbour Finland ended decades of military non-alignment and applied to join the US-led defence bloc in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Türkiye and fellow NATO member Hungary - both pushing a more accommodating line with Russia - were the last to ratify Finland's membership this year.

But both countries' parliaments have yet to approve Sweden's entry.

Unanimous backing is needed for new countries to secure the guarantees afforded by the world's most powerful defence alliance.