Biden throws full support of US behind Finland, Sweden NATO applications

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President Biden urged the U.S. Senate to speedily approve the addition of Sweden and Finland into the NATO alliance on Thursday.

Biden met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdelena Andersson at the White House, congratulating both on their Wednesday application to join NATO. Biden said he has spoken with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and expects the Senate to give advice and consent to the treaty rapidly.

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"I am proud to assure them that they have the full total complete backing of the United States of America," Biden said of the two countries. "They meet every NATO requirement and then some."

President Biden walks with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinisto of Finland as they arrive at the White House in Washington, Thursday May 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Sweden and Finland only face major opposition to joining NATO from Turkey, which has said it will vote against their approval. Turkey claims that both Sweden and Finland are "home to terrorists," due to their refusal to extradite certain individuals to Turkey.

Sweden and Finland both need the unanimous approval of all 30 existing NATO member countries to be added to the alliance. Niinisto and Andersson both addressed Turkey's opposition during remarks at the White House, saying they would engage in talks.

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"We take terrorism seriously, we condemn terrorism in all its forms, and we are actively engaged in combating it. We are open to discussing all the concerns Turkey may have concerning our membership in an open and constructive manner," Niinisto said.