Biden meets Niinisto as support grows in Finland for NATO

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at Yellowjacket Union during his visit to the University of Wisconsin-Superior, in Superior, Wisconsin, U.S. March 2, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden meets his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto at the White House on Friday, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has roused fresh concern for other European countries, and raised the prospect that Finland could form a closer alliance with NATO.

Finland already cooperates with NATO, but is not a member, and support for full membership has grown in the country since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden and Niinisto have spoken to each other twice in the past few months.

Finns have traditionally been wary of Russia, given the Nordic country’s shared 833-mile (1,340-km) border and a history of two wars between 1939 and 1944 that cost Finland territory.

But Finland, a European Union member which was part of the Swedish kingdom until 1809 and then was under Russia’s control until gaining independence in 1917, has also sought to preserve friendly relations with Moscow.

Russia does not want Finland to join NATO, but Niinisto has said the country retains the right to apply for membership. Last month, Finland sealed a $9.4 billion deal to buy dozens of F-35 stealth warplanes from the United States, in a sign of the Finnish military’s growing ties to the trans-Atlantic military alliance. read more

Ukraine’s government retains its right to join NATO as well, over Putin’s strong objections.

Biden and Niinisto “will discuss the U.S.-Finnish defense relationship, which is very strong and in fact complements Finland’s close partnership with NATO,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in previewing the visit.

The Finnish public is growing fonder of the idea of joining NATO. A poll by public broadcaster Yle last Monday said 53% of Finns support joining, compared with 28% when the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper asked the question in late January. read more

Finland’s government has sought to calm campaigns to join the U.S.-led defense bloc. Niinisto said in a statement that people should “keep a cool head and assess carefully the impact of the changes that have already taken place and of those that might still happen.”

Finland joined other countries on Thursday in boycotting Arctic Council meetings that Russia planned to host in May. read more

Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Leslie Adler, Heather Timmons and Jonathan Oatis

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