HELSINKI (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden concludes a week dedicated to rallying NATO unity behind Ukraine with a full-day visit to Finland, a new member and neighbor to Russia. During his trip, Biden denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin for his “craven lust for land and power.” This visit also marks the U.S.-Nordic summit, where Biden will meet with the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway in Helsinki. Afterwards, he will hold a joint news conference with Finland’s president Sauli Niinisto before returning to Washington.
The decision by Finland to join NATO breaks with its seven-decade stance of military non-alignment and significantly increases the length of the border shared between NATO and Russia. While Finland successfully repelled an attempted Soviet invasion during World War Two, it lost territory. Until Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland maintained cooperative relations with Russia.
Biden’s visit to Finland takes place nearly five years after the summit talks between then-President Donald Trump and Putin in Helsinki. On that occasion, Trump adopted a conciliatory tone towards the Russian leader. However, this time around, Biden plans to commend Finland’s NATO membership and express support for Sweden’s potential entry into the alliance.
According to a White House official, the changing European security structure in response to Russia’s aggressive actions will be a key topic of discussion. Biden is also expected to address climate change and emerging technologies, among other subjects.
Biden frequently points to Finland and Sweden’s desire to join NATO as evidence that Putin’s strategy has backfired. During the recent NATO summit in Lithuania, Biden emphasized this by stating, “When Putin unleashed his brutal war on Ukraine, he thought NATO would break apart due to his craven lust for land and power… but he was wrong.”
As Biden arrived in Finland, he successfully tackled two challenges at the summit. Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdogan, dropped his opposition to Sweden joining NATO, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy moderated his demands for quick entry into the alliance. “We achieved every goal we set out to accomplish,” Biden told reporters at Vilnius airport before departing for Helsinki.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons and Rosalba O’Brien)
HELSINKI (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden concludes a week dedicated to rallying NATO unity behind Ukraine with a full-day visit to Finland, a new member and neighbor to Russia. During his trip, Biden denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin for his “craven lust for land and power.” This visit also marks the U.S.-Nordic summit, where Biden will meet with the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway in Helsinki. Afterwards, he will hold a joint news conference with Finland’s president Sauli Niinisto before returning to Washington.
The decision by Finland to join NATO breaks with its seven-decade stance of military non-alignment and significantly increases the length of the border shared between NATO and Russia. While Finland successfully repelled an attempted Soviet invasion during World War Two, it lost territory. Until Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland maintained cooperative relations with Russia.
Biden’s visit to Finland takes place nearly five years after the summit talks between then-President Donald Trump and Putin in Helsinki. On that occasion, Trump adopted a conciliatory tone towards the Russian leader. However, this time around, Biden plans to commend Finland’s NATO membership and express support for Sweden’s potential entry into the alliance.
According to a White House official, the changing European security structure in response to Russia’s aggressive actions will be a key topic of discussion. Biden is also expected to address climate change and emerging technologies, among other subjects.
Biden frequently points to Finland and Sweden’s desire to join NATO as evidence that Putin’s strategy has backfired. During the recent NATO summit in Lithuania, Biden emphasized this by stating, “When Putin unleashed his brutal war on Ukraine, he thought NATO would break apart due to his craven lust for land and power… but he was wrong.”
As Biden arrived in Finland, he successfully tackled two challenges at the summit. Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdogan, dropped his opposition to Sweden joining NATO, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy moderated his demands for quick entry into the alliance. “We achieved every goal we set out to accomplish,” Biden told reporters at Vilnius airport before departing for Helsinki.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons and Rosalba O’Brien)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
