Biden Signs Documents Supporting Finland, Sweden NATO Applications

President Joe Biden signed documents Tuesday lending the US' formal endorsement to Finland and Sweden becoming NATO's newest members, saying their entry will make the alliance "stronger than ever."

The Senate last week overwhelmingly voted 95-1 in favor of the Nordic countries joining NATO in what could mark the largest single expansion of the transatlantic alliance in nearly two decades.

Signing what is known as the nations' ascension protocols in the White House's East Room, Biden said Finland and Sweden "will meet every NATO requirement," and their addition "will make our alliance stronger, and will make America and the American people safer in the process."

"Seeking to join NATO, Finland and Sweden are making a sacred commitment. An attack against one is an attack against all," Biden said, referring to NATO's collective defense article. "Our alliance is closer than ever. It is more united than ever. And when Finland and Sweden bring the number of allies to 32, we'll be stronger than ever."

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in May, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.

But Türkiye, a NATO member for more than 70 years, voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups.

A trilateral agreement signed among the countries in June stipulates that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the YPG/PYD, the PKK's Syrian offshoot, nor to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye -- and said Ankara extends full support to Finland and Sweden against threats to their national security.

Following the agreement, the leaders of NATO's 30 members signed the countries' ascension protocols, a key step ahead of their formal entry into the alliance. The legislatures of all standing members, including Türkiye's parliament, must now ratify the bids before the process can conclude.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Monday that Ankara will not take a positive attitude toward the membership bids unless Stockholm and Helsinki meet their promises to fight terrorism.

With the US action, 23 allies have now signed off on the countries' entry into NATO and Biden urged members who have not done so yet "to complete their own ratification processes as quickly as possible."​​​​​​​ -