US President Joe Biden gave his assurance Thursday (July 14) that the United States would stay committed to NATO despite extreme elements of the Republican Party who wanted to pull out of the alliance. He made these statements during his visit to Finland to welcome the country as NATO's latest member.
"I absolutely guarantee it," he said at a news conference when asked about the US's commitment to NATO given the political instability of the country.
The remark came after Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, threatened to pull the US out of the alliance in 2018 if other member states did not boost their military spending.
"No one can guarantee the future, but this is the best bet anyone could make," Biden added.
Both Biden and Trump are running for president in 2024.
Congress to Assure US Will Stay in NATO
Back in Washington, Congress is weighing in on a bipartisan effort to block any US president from leaving NATO without lawmakers' approval after Trump's attempt on doing so.
The joint resolution included sponsors such as Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The bill has been introduced repeatedly in recent years, dating back to Trump's raising objections to the alliance relying too heavily on US funding. While the measure has yet to pass the full Senate, it would likely win Biden's support.
Biden To Meet With Nordic Leaders
Biden's trip to Helsinki was part of his European tour, which included the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. He earlier stated at the summit that Russia's invasion of Ukraine only made the alliance stronger. "A stronger NATO makes the entire world stronger," Biden added.
His trip to Finland was to meet with its leader, as well as the leaders of Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway, and participate in a summit between the countries in the coming days.
Ahead of a bilateral meeting with Finnish president Sauli Niinisto, Biden hailed Finland as an "incredible asset" to the NATO military alliance.
"I don't think NATO has ever been stronger," he added. "The vision for the world that we all share...is one that's more free, more secure."
Read Also: Turkey Finally Supports Sweden's NATO Membership, Ending Year-Long Stalemate
Finland and Sweden in NATO
Finland was historically neutral during the Cold War but fought against the Soviet Union during the Second World War. In its Nordic phase, also called the Winter War, Finland lost significant territory to the Soviets.
Meanwhile, Sweden remained neutral since the end of the Great Northern War in the 18th century. But like Finland, the Swedes also significantly developed their war machine to repel any invasion by any country.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 made the Finns and Swedes reconsider their neutrality and eventually applied for NATO membership a few months later.
Finland eventually became the 31st NATO member state in April this year. Sweden, on the other hand, is set to become the 32nd after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his intent to support the country's application after a year-long stalemate.
Niinisto said Finland's NATO membership heralded "a new era" in the country's security, and applauded Biden for creating unity at the Vilnius summit, which focused on supporting Ukraine.
"You will be one of those who wrote it to history," he told Biden.
In a separate statement, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson thanked Biden for his support in his country's push to join NATO, saying there was great potential for closer US-Nordic cooperation and a stronger link in facing challenges, including on issues involving China.
Related Article: NATO Leaders Express Support for Ukraine's Membership During Summit But Stop Short of Handing Out Invitation
