Biden welcomed Finland’s entry into NATO

Finland’s accession to NATO will strengthen the will of the alliance “for freedom and peace”, declared US President Joe Biden.

In a statement published on the White House website, Biden cited the words of the 33rd US President Harry Truman: “If there is anything inevitable in the future, it is the will of the peoples of the world to freedom and peace.”

“Today, with Finland joining NATO, that will is stronger than ever,” Biden said.

The process of ratifying Finland’s application to join the alliance has become the fastest in the modern history of NATO, he stressed. Biden also urged Turkey and Hungary to complete the ratification of Sweden’s application without delay.

Earlier today, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto signed document on the republic’s accession to NATO. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov declaredthat Finland’s accession to NATO leads to an aggravation of the situation in the world. Moscow considers the expansion of the alliance an encroachment on the security and national interests of Russia, he stressed. Peskov added that such steps are forcing Russia to take measures to ensure the country’s security.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership at the same time on May 18, 2022. Until recently, the two countries that did not ratify Finland’s application were Hungary and Turkey. Budapest did it on March 27, and Ankara on the night of March 31. The Finnish Parliament approved the law on the country’s accession to NATO on March 1. On the 23rd of the same month, the laws were signed by the president of the republic, completing the process of approving membership in the alliance within the republic.

After Danish politician Rasmus Paludan burned a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on January 21, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sweden should no longer wait for support for its NATO bid.