Biden Meets With Finnish, Swedish Leaders, Offers Support for NATO Bids

U.S. President Joe Biden, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto walk along the Colonnade to the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington on May 19, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

President Joe Biden on May 19 wholeheartedly backed the bids of Finland and Sweden for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership, saying the two countries meet every requirement for joining the alliance.

“Sweden and Finland have strong democratic institutions, strong militaries, and strong and transparent economies, and a strong moral sense of what is right,” Biden said in prepared remarks in the White House’s Rose Garden.