Joe Biden officially announces U.S. support for Finland, Sweden to join NATO | World News

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden formally welcomed Finland and Sweden to the NATO alliance as he signed the ratification of the U.S. formally backing the Nordic countries into a mutual defense pact as part of a reshaping of Europe’s security posture following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“In their quest to join NATO, Finland and Sweden have made a sacred commitment that an attack on one is an attack on all,” Biden said in signing, calling the partnership “unacceptable.” A missing alliance”.

The U.S. becomes the 23rd ally to ratify both countries into NATO. Biden said he spoke with the two heads of state before signing the ratification and urged the remaining NATO members to complete their ratification process “as soon as possible.”

The Senate last week approved the two once-nonaligned nations in a rare 95-1 vote to join the alliance, which Biden said showed the world that “the United States of America can still do great things” with a sense of political unity.

The countries sought to join NATO earlier this year to keep Russian President Vladimir Putin safe after an offensive in Ukraine. NATO rules require Finland and Sweden to agree to all of its 30 existing members before formally joining the alliance in the coming months.

The candidacy of the two prosperous Nordic countries was approved by more than half of NATO members within about three months of their applications. It marks one of the most rapid expansions of the mutual defense pact between the United States and European democratic allies in its 73-year history.

U.S. state and defense officials see the two countries as cyber “security providers,” particularly bolstering NATO’s defense posture in the Baltic. Finland is expected to surpass NATO’s 2 percent of GDP defense spending target by 2022, and Sweden has committed to the 2 percent target.

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May, setting aside longstanding military non-alignment stances. It was a major shift in the security arrangements between the two countries after neighboring Russia launched war on Ukraine in late February. Biden encouraged them to join, and in May welcomed the two heads of government to the White House to stand alongside them in a show of American support.

In the face of Putin’s military incursion, and a sweeping statement by Russian leaders condemning NATO this year, a veiled reminder of Russia’s nuclear arsenal and claims of Russia’s historic claims to many of its territories, the United States and its European allies have united to build a new partnership. Neighbor.