As the Western alliance prepares for next week’s summit, US President Joe Biden told Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Wednesday that he is “looking forward” to Sweden’s stalled NATO membership application receiving final approval.
Biden told reporters in the Oval Office that he “fully, fully supports Sweden’s membership in NATO.”
“The bottom line is simple: Sweden is going to make our alliance stronger,” Biden said, adding he was “anxiously looking forward” to the bid being ratified.
Kristersson thanked the US president for his leadership in maintaining “transatlantic unity” during the upheaval sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also praised Biden’s “strong support” for Sweden’s NATO bid, which is being held up by Turkey and Hungary.
“We also do think that we have things to contribute” for NATO security, the prime minister added.
The Oval Office encounter marked the start of a series of NATO-related diplomatic events for Biden.
He departs on Sunday for a one-day visit to close friend Britain, then heads to Vilnius for the annual NATO summit before concluding with a stop in the alliance’s newest member Finland.
Finland and Sweden abandoned their formal neutrality to seek NATO membership in response to Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022. Biden views the bloc’s expansion and massive efforts to arm and support Ukraine’s forces as a strategic defeat for Moscow—as well as his own greatest diplomatic triumph.
However, NATO enlargement requires unanimous approval from the existing 31 members.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on whether Biden planned to contact his colleagues in Turkey and Hungary before to the conference.
“He’s been pretty, pretty steadfast” on the need to approve the application, she said. “Sweden is a strong, capable defense partner that shares NATO’s values.”
In addition to discussing measures to support Kyiv through its arduous counteroffensive against Russian soldiers occupying large areas of Ukraine’s east and south, the two leaders also addressed transatlantic cooperation on China, climate change, and emerging technology.
