On Wednesday, President Joe Biden claimed that European integration into NATO is exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin “didn’t want.”
The alliance’s biggest expansion since the 1990s was made possible thanks to a diplomatic success that saw Turkey withdraw its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining. Biden applauded this development.
As soon as Biden arrived at NATO headquarters on Wednesday morning, he met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and declared, “Putin was hoping for the Finland-ization of Europe and we’re going to get the NATO-zation of Europe.”
And yet, that is precisely what needed to be done to ensure Europe’s security—exactly what he did not want to do.
And I believe that’s essential, so I’m hoping it happens,” the president remarked.
In connection with the NATO summit, Biden will have a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday in the afternoon.
Tuesday night, following several rounds of negotiations, Turkey decided not to oppose to the two Nordic countries entering the alliance.
That evening, Stoltenberg made the announcement, saying, “I am glad to announce we now have an agreement that lays the road for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.”
“A pact has been agreed by Turkey, Finland, and Sweden that addresses Turkey’s concerns, especially those related to arms exports and the battle against terrorism,” he continued.
As Europe experiences its biggest security crisis in decades in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the three states vowed to defend each other’s security.
The decision made by the leaders must be approved by the 30 ally parliaments of NATO before the new members can be affirmed, a procedure that might take up to a year.
The official spoke to reporters on Tuesday night to describe President Biden’s role in the process and asked for anonymity to speak frankly.
According to NATO treaties, an attack on one member would be seen as an attack against all, and the entire alliance would launch a military response.
Before the agreement was struck on Tuesday morning, President Biden spoke with Erdogan.
In order for the president to “be able to engage directly with President Erdogan about the membership application to Finland and Sweden and to encourage him to seize this chance and get this done,” a senior administration official explained that conversation was made.
According to the official, Biden made the contact at Sweden’s and Finland’s request.
Biden and Erdogan will have a formal sit-down on the sidelines of NATO on Wednesday.
The two leaders will now ‘talk about the broader set of issues and U.S.-Turkey relationship,’ the senior administration official said.
According to the official, President Biden preferred to place the final weight on the scale to ensure success rather than interject during negotiations.
“We have been very diligent and have rejected the notion that the United States wanted to act as a middleman.
That would not be beneficial, we did not believe,” the official added.
The accord is seen as a success by the Biden administration.
The senior administration source added, “This obviously is really a huge shot in the arm for allied unity and also, you know, a historic moment for the Alliance to previously neutral countries choosing to sign up for NATO and being welcomed by NATO.”
Erdogan promised to pressure Biden into buying an F-16 fighter plane before he left for Madrid.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland submitted applications to join NATO.
Since former Soviet bloc nations joined the alliance in 1999, this is the alliance’s largest expansion.