Dispute over Finland and Sweden’s Nato entry bid

Turkey’s leader said ‘no’ as Biden offered his strong support to the leaders of Sweden and Finland to joining the military alliance

Agencies

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Thursday strongly backed Finland and Sweden’s bid to join Nato in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the Nordic nations’ leaders promised to address concerns raised by Turkey.

Biden welcomed Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto at the White House days after they formally announced their Nato aspirations and said he was submitting their applications to the US Congress, where there is bipartisan support for ratification.

“The bottom line is simple. Quite straightforward: Finland and Sweden make Nato stronger,” Biden said, offering the “full, total, complete backing of the United States of America.”

Sweden and Finland, while solidly Western, have historically kept a distance from Nato as part of longstanding policies aimed at avoiding angering Russia. But the two nations both moved ahead amid shock over the invasion of Ukraine.

With Russia voicing anger over the Nato bids, Biden said he told the Nordic leaders that the US would “remain vigilant against the threats to our shared security”. But membership requires consent of all 30 existing members and Turkey has voiced misgivings. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the two of backing “terrorism,” a reference to the presence in Finland and especially Sweden of Kurdish militants from the separatist PKK.

Meanwhile, the Russian soldier facing the first war crimes

trial since the start of the war in Ukraine testified on Thursday that he shot a civilian on orders from two officers and pleaded for his victim’s widow to forgive him.

Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin said he at first disobeyed his immediate commanding officer’s order to shoot the unarmed civilian but had no other choice but to follow the order when it was repeated forcefully by another officer.

On Thursday, he asked the victim’s widow, who also appeared in the trial, to forgive him for what he did.

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