Biden will host Sweden’s prime minister at the White House as the Nordic nation seeks to join NATO

By COLLEEN LONG
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Sweden’s prime minister at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO. Sweden’s bid has been stalled by objections from two members of the Western military alliance, Turkey and Hungary. The White House says Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson plan to their “growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible.” Sweden and neighbor Finland dropped their long-standing military neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and applied for NATO membership, seeking protection under the organization’s security umbrella. Finland joined NATO in April.