US President Joe Biden has said he and other NATO leaders showed the world that the military alliance remains "more united than ever," as he capped off a trip in Europe meant to demonstrate the force of the international coalition against Russia's offensive against Ukraine.
The allies "understand that this fight is not only a fight for the future of Ukraine," Biden said on Thursday, noting that it's also about sovereignty and security.
"At this critical moment in history, this inflection point, the world watching to see, will we do the hard work that matters to forge a better future? Will we stand together, will we stand with one another? Will we stay committed to our course?" Biden said. He said the answer was a "resounding yes."
Earlier on Thursday, Biden met with the leaders of other Nordic nations including Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
Sweden is poised to be admitted as NATO’s 32nd member country after it pledged more cooperation with Türkiye on counterterrorism efforts while backing Ankara's bid to join the European Union. Finland gained NATO membership earlier this year.
Both Finland and Sweden abandoned a history of military nonalignment and sought to join NATO alliance after Russia launched its military offensive against Ukraine last year.
Biden's brief stop in the shoreline Finnish capital is the coda to a tour that was carefully sketched to highlight the growth of a military alliance that the president says has fortified itself since the start of Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Finland's admittance to NATO effectively doubled the alliance’s border with Russia.
Biden arrived in Helsinki after what he deemed a successful NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies agreed to language that would further pave the way for Ukraine to also become a future member.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit's outcome “a significant security victory" for his country but nonetheless expressed disappointment at not getting an outright invitation to join.
