The United States and Finland want to strengthen security cooperation

The United States and Finland want to strengthen their security cooperation.

The White House announced on Friday evening (local time) after a meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Finnish counterpart Saulin Ninisto that this should be done in conjunction with other Nordic countries. The presidents also discussed the importance of NATO’s open door policy.

Finland is the EU country with the longest national border with Russia. The country is not a member of NATO, but a close partner of the military alliance. Finland is seen as a key link in the highly tense relationship between the EU and the Kremlin.

“Finland is a key partner of the United States and a strong defense partner of NATO, especially in terms of the strength and security of the Baltic Sea region,” Biden told a White House meeting. Biden said there was general agreement that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not just an attack on Ukraine, but an attack on European security and global peace and stability. “We are living in really difficult times,” Niinistö stressed.

Biden also recalled and laughed at former US President Barack Obama’s statement during his meeting with his Finnish counterpart. He said that if everything was left to the Nordic countries, everything would be fine, Biden said. “As a rule, we do not start wars,” Ninisto replied. In 2016, Obama said: “I hope the world will be safer and more prosperous if we have more allies like our Nordic countries.”

SDA