Biden welcomes Finland into NATO and calls for Sweden’s admission
Naomi Lim
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NATO will be “stronger” with Finland becoming the alliance’s 31st member, according to President Joe Biden.
“Seventy-four years ago today — as the United States and 11 other nations came together to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — President Truman said, ‘If there is anything inevitable in the future, it is the will of the people of the world for freedom and for peace,'” Biden wrote Tuesday. “Today, that will is stronger than ever with the addition of Finland to NATO.”
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Finland applied for NATO membership with Sweden last May, months after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine. Finland’s ratification is the fastest in NATO’s modern history, but Turkey and Hungary have objected to Sweden’s application.
“Both countries are strong democracies with highly capable militaries, who share our values and vision for the world,” Biden said. “I look forward to welcoming Sweden as a NATO member as soon as possible, and encourage Turkiye and Hungary to conclude their ratification processes without delay.”
“When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong,” he added. “Today, we are more united than ever. And together — strengthened by our newest ally Finland — we will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory, and meet any and all challenges we face.”
Finland joining NATO “more than doubles” the length of the border between Russia and NATO, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
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“Finland is among the few countries in Europe that actually didn’t reduce the investments in defense, didn’t reduce the readiness of the armed forces at the end of the Cold War,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. “They have trained and built a large army over many years and maintain that high level of readiness.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to oppose Sweden’s NATO membership over its arms embargo on Turkey and its welcome of Kurdish refugees, whom Erdogan regards as affiliates of a Turkish Kurd separatist group.