Biden receives leaders for Sweden and Finland in the White House when countries want to join NATO
By Kate Sullivan, CNN
On Thursday, President Joe Biden welcomes the Swedish Prime Minister and President of Finland to the White House in an important show of support days after both countries were announced they would try to join NATO.
The leaders are expected discuss Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications, European security and support for Ukraine in the midst of Russia’s invasion, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Both countries want to join the military alliance after Russia’s attack on Ukraine raised renewed security concerns throughout the region. Their historic applications to join NATO represent a dramatic development in European security and geopolitics.
The United States and other NATO leaders have expressed support for Finland and Sweden joining the military alliance. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the US “strongly supports” their NATO applications.
Both Finland and Sweden already meet many of the requirements for membership in NATO, which includes having a functioning democratic political system based on a market economy; treat minority populations fairly; undertake to resolve conflicts peacefully; the ability and willingness to make a military contribution to NATO operations; and to engage in democratic civil-military relations and institutions.
But the move has been met with opposition from Russia and Turkey. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Finland’s and Sweden’s entry into NATO would not pose a threat to Russia, but “the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory will certainly cause our response.”
Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that Russia “will be forced to retaliate, both of a military and other nature, in order to stop the threats to its national security that arise in this regard.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week that he would not approve Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership if they sanctioned Turkey and that delegations from nations should not bother to come to Turkey to try to convince that nation to approve their country’s NATO membership. .
The meeting will take place on the same day as the president travels to Seoul, South Korea, for his first trip to Asia as president. Biden is also scheduled to travel to Japan during the trip.
The four-day trip to Asia is intended to underline Biden’s commitment to the region, even when international attention is drawn to the crisis in Ukraine. But it also comes as Biden tries to keep the United States and its allies united against Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine in the midst of growing civilian casualties and intensified fighting.
The-CNN-Wire
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