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

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 (AP) — President Joe Biden officially welcomed Finland and Sweden to the NATO alliance on Tuesday as he signed instruments of ratification, signaling formal U.S. support for the Nordic nations to join the mutual defense pact that is reshaping Europe part. Security posture after 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”.

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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-neutral nations to join the coalition by a rare 95-1 vote, which Biden said showed the world that “the United States of America can still do great things” with a sense of political unity.

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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. This marks the fastest expansion 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 aggression, and a sweeping statement by Russian leaders this year condemning NATO, it served as a veiled reminder of Russia’s nuclear arsenal and asserted Russia’s historical claims to the territories of many of its neighbors. (Associated Press)

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