BIDEN TO HOST LEADERS OF SWEDEN, FINLAND AMID NATO BIDS

President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland at the White House for a meeting Thursday amid their push to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The White House said they would discuss the two countries’ applications to join the mutual defense alliance, as well as European security broadly. The requests by the long-neutral nations to join NATO have been widely lauded within the alliance as a rebuke of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, though Turkey has expressed reservations.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that the administration is “very confident” that an agreement would be reached for the two countries to join the alliance.

Thursday’s White House meeting between Biden and the two leaders is set to take place before Biden departs Washington for a four-day trip to South Korea and Japan.