According to the White House, US President Joe Biden has planned a diplomatic trip to Europe this month, including stops in the United Kingdom, the NATO summit in Lithuania, and meetings in Finland.
The White House announced in a statement that Biden will leave on July 9 for Britain, where he will meet with King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He will then travel to Vilnius for the NATO summit on July 11 and 12, followed by a one-day visit to Helsinki for the US-Nordic Leaders Summit.
The announcement comes as the White House prepares to host Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Washington next week to discuss Stockholm’s NATO ambitions, and after the US claimed the alliance was close to reaching an agreement on how to deal with Ukraine’s membership push.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his country, which is battling a Russian invasion, should be given a “invitation” to join NATO after the war during a major summit later this month.
“We need a very clear and understandable signal at the Vilnius summit that Ukraine can become an equal member of NATO after the war,” he told reporters in Kyiv alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. “This invitation to the alliance is the first, very practical step, it would be very important for us.”
Sweden formally requested membership in the military alliance in May 2022, three months after Russia invaded Ukraine. However, Turkey and Hungary have stalled its membership bid, which must be ratified by all 31 member nations.
Top Turkish and Swedish diplomats will meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, the day following Kristersson’s visit to the White House, to discuss Stockholm’s quest to join the alliance.
Turkey abandoned its objections to Sweden’s Nordic neighbor Finland joining NATO earlier this year, and Helsinki joined the alliance in April.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month chastised Stockholm for tolerating a protest in which a man burnt passages from the Koran, casting further doubt on Sweden’s chances of joining NATO soon.
Western allies and Stockholm have emphasized that Sweden has fulfilled the requirements of a pact struck with Ankara last year to join the alliance.
During his travel to Britain, Biden will strive to “further strengthen the close relationship between our nations,” according to the White House, which added that further details about the trip will be published soon.
