Calling it a “historic day in the face of aggression,” President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed the leaders of Sweden and Finland to the White House and voiced the United States’ support for their admission into NATO.
What You Need To Know
- Calling it a “historic day in the face of aggression,” President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed the leaders of Sweden and Finland to the White House and voiced the United States’ support for their admission into NATO
- Spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden formally applied Wednesday to join NATO
- While the Nordic countries’ bid appears to be welcomed by the vast majority of the alliance, Turkey dealt their chances a blow Thursday when its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, flatly said his country will oppose their admission
- The Finnish and Swedish leaders said they are having discussions with Turkey to address its concerns
“Sweden and Finland have strong democratic institutions, strong militaries, and strong and transparent economies, and a strong moral sense of what is right,” Biden said during a speech at the White House Rose Garden while flanked by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. “They meet every NATO requirement, and then some.
“The bottom line is simple, quite straightforward: Finland and Sweden make NATO stronger,” the president added.
Spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden formally applied Wednesday to join NATO.
“Russia’s war in Ukraine has changed Europe and our security environment,” said Niinistö, whose country shares an 830-mile border with Russia. “Finland takes the step of a NATO membership in order to strengthen not only its own security, but also in order to strengthen wider transatlantic security.
“I want to assure that Finland will become a strong NATO ally,” he said. “We take our security very seriously. The Finnish armed forces are one of the strongest in Europe. We have also consistently invested in developing our capabilities. The Finns’ willingness to defend their country is one of the highest in the whole world. We are ready to contribute to the security of the whole alliance.”
Andersson said the war in Ukraine reminds Sweden of “the darkest days of European history.”
“After 200 years of military non-alignment, Sweden has chosen a new path,” she said. “Russia’s full-scale aggression against a sovereign and democratic neighbor — that was a watershed moment for Sweden.”
Biden said his administration is submitting reports to Congress on Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications so lawmakers “can efficiently and quickly move on advising and consenting to the treaty.”
While the Nordic countries’ bid appears to be welcomed by the vast majority of the alliance, Turkey dealt their chances a blow Thursday when its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, flatly said his country will oppose their admission.
“We have told our relevant friends we would say ‘no’ to Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO, and we will continue on our path like this,” Erdogan told a group of Turkish youth in a video for Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day, a national holiday.
There must be consensus among all 30 NATO countries nations on adding new members.
Erdogan has said Turkey’s objection stems from grievances with Sweden’s — and to a lesser degree with Finland’s — perceived support of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and an armed group in Syria that Turkey sees as an extension of the PKK. The conflict with the PKK has killed tens of thousands of people since 1984.
Turkey also accuses Sweden and Finland of harboring the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim cleric whom the Turkish government blames for 2016 military coup attempt.
Niinistö said Thursday that Finland is open to discussing all of Ankara’s concerns.
“Finland has always had broad and good bilateral relations to Turkey,” he said. “As NATO allies, we will commit to Turkey’s security, just as Turkey will commit to our security. We take terrorism seriously. we condemn terrorism in all its forms, and we are actively engaged in combating it.”
Andersson said Sweden is having discussions with all NATO members, including Turkey, about any issues they may have.
Biden did not weigh in on Turkey on Thursday, but asked Wednesday about its opposition, the president said, “I think we’re going to be OK.”
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic also has indicated he will seek to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO.
Before Croatia’s parliament ratifies NATO membership for the two nations, Milanovic wants a change of neighboring Bosnia’s electoral law that would make it easer for Bosnian Croats to get their representatives elected to leadership positions.
“We should follow Turkey’s example,” he said Wednesday. “Turkey will sell its NATO status at a high price.”
In addition to NATO expansion, Biden, Niinistö and Andersson were expected to discuss European security, strengthening partnerships on global issues and support for Ukraine, the White House said before the meeting.
Biden said the three leaders “had a very good discussion.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
