Biden: There Will Be More to Announce on Swedish, Finnish Security Interests 'Shortly'

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said on Friday that there will be more to announce with respect to security interests from Sweden and Finland shortly.

"I'm not going to go into the detail about my private conversations with the presidents of Sweden and Finland, except that we had a good conversation and they expressed their interest and desires relating to security, and there will be more to report on that shortly," Biden said during a press conference.

Earlier in the day, the White House said in a readout of the talks that Biden emphasized the United States' support for NATO's open door policy and for the right of each country to decide whether to join the military alliance. The three leaders also reiterated their shared commitment to continue coordinating military and other support for Ukraine, the readout added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey cannot view favorably the accession of Finland or Sweden into NATO. Erdogan also referenced Turkey’s discontent with Greece’s participation in NATO military activities starting in 1980, calling the move a mistake that should not be allowed to be repeated.

In March, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will fast-track the membership applications of Finland and Sweden if they decide to join. On Thursday, both Finland and Sweden officially confirmed their plans to join NATO. The United States and Germany have already pledged support to the Nordic states if they choose to apply for membership in the alliance.