President Joe Biden is in Helsinki, Finland, for a summit with Nordic leaders Thursday, offering an opportunity for the countries to bolster security cooperation amid threats from Russia and China.
"Finland and the United States are stronger together, and I really mean that. We have the same value set," Biden told his Finnish counterpart President Sauli Niinistö as the leaders held a bilateral meeting Thursday morning.
Biden is meeting with the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark, marking the third such summit and the first of the Biden administration. It comes on the heels of a major win for Biden in Vilnius, Lithuania, after Turkey dropped its objections to Sweden's accession to NATO earlier this week, but also provides the leaders a forum to discuss a range of other pressing issues.
The leaders come into the Thursday meeting with momentum after Finland joined NATO and Sweden is set to join the alliance, providing a boost and strong display of unity amid Russia's war in Ukraine. The historic announcement represented a stunning about-face from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who stood in the path of Sweden joining NATO for more than a year over a multitude of concerns.
"I've been doing this a long time. I don't think NATO's ever been stronger," Biden said as he met with Niinistö. "I think -- it's a different era. The nature of our relationship, bringing along Sweden as well, makes a gigantic difference."
The Biden administration led a full-court press in the days leading up to the Vilnius summit, capping months of behind-the-scenes diplomacy to get Turkey to move ahead with Sweden's accession.
Recalling a conversation with Niinistö as the Finnish leader prepared to seek NATO membership, Biden said, "It took me about three seconds to say yes," pointing to the "fastest ratification in modern history" for a new NATO member. Finland became the 31st member of the alliance in April.
Finland, Biden said, is a "great partner" and an "incredible asset" to NATO.
"We're deepening our defense cooperation," Biden said, adding, "Together we're standing for the shared democratic values."
Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden added, "I said to our friend in the East that he wants the Finland-ization of NATO, and he'll get the NATO-ization of Finland."
Among the other issues up for discussion: Arctic security. There is a presence from both China and Russia in the Arctic, an area that's becoming more accessible due to climate change.
Amid more than 500 days of war in Ukraine, Russia has continued to expand its military bases in the Arctic region, satellite images obtained by CNN months ago showing continued progress fortifying and expanding radar bases and runways in the area.
China is also scaling up its presence in the region.
The US, an Arctic nation itself, is taking its own measures to bolster its engagement in the region.
They are also expected to discuss areas of cooperation on technology, including 5G and artificial intelligence technology. And climate engagement and clean energy will also be key topics during the Helsinki visit.
Later Thursday, Biden and Niinistö hold a joint news conference, marking the first time the US president will field questions from reporters in a formal setting on the weeklong trip.
He returns to Washington in the evening.
