Cronkite school of journalism at
Arizona state university.
Amna: President Biden will soon
land back in the United States
after traveling to three
European countries in five days.
His last stop today, after
two days of nato meetings, was
the newest alliance member,
Finland.
White house correspondent Laura
barron-lopez traveled with the
president.
Laura: For Finland, a new era of
security against Russian
aggression, an era the president
credited in part to the work of
Joe Biden.
>> I have to tell you about
Vilnius very impressive the way
you created unity amongst
allies.
Laura: Fresh off the nato summit
in Vilnius, Biden paid visit to
the newest nato member and
Russia's next-door neighbor.
Pres. Biden: Time I don't think
-- pres. Biden: I've been doing
this a long time.
I don't think nato's ever been
stronger.
Laura: Finland broke decades of
official military non-alignment
when it joined nato in April --
taking a clear stance against
the Kremlin after Vladimir
Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
On president Biden called
Thursday, Putin's war a failure
and spoke forcefully about
Russian threats to more than
Ukraine.
Pres. Biden: First of all,
they're already interfered in
American elections, so that
would not be anything new.
Laura: That was a stark contrast
to his predecessor who stood in
the same room in Helsinki nearly
five years ago today.
Then former president Donald
Trump stunned the world when he
aligned himself with the
authoritarian leader, doubting
the U.S. Intelligence
community's determination that
Russia interfered in the 2016
presidential election.
Mr. Trump: They think it's
Russia.
I have president Putin.
He just said it's not Russia.
I will say this -- I don't see
any reason why it would be.
Laura: The world has changed
dramatically since then.
Russia's war on Ukraine posing
an historic challenge to the
nato alliance.
More than one year in the
coalition has held, and
expanded.
Nato pushed through the fastest
ratification in modern history
for Finland which applied for
membership within weeks of Putin
starting the war.
Its neighbor, Sweden, will soon
follow.
>> He went to war because he
wanted less nato, he's getting
more nato.
Laura: It is a significant
strategic gain for the security
alliance.
The scandinavian country shares
the longest European border with
Russia, stretching over 800
miles, and its entry more than
doubles nato's total border with
its adversary.
Today, president Biden convened
five nordic nations including
Finland and Sweden.
He made his affection toward the
region known as they built on
nato talks.
Pres. Biden: If we just left the
important decisions to the
nordics, we'd all be in good
shape.
Laura: They each spoke of common
values and their shared
challenges, including climate
change.
>> You have said before that we
have been frontrunners on the
green transition, but it's you
who have brought us back on the
green agenda fighting climate
change.
Laura: At the end of his
European tour, focus shifted
back home.
President Biden was unequivocal
about the endurance of U.S. Nato
leadership despite a volatile
and divided Washington.
Pres. Biden: As sure as anything
can possibly be said about
American foreign policy.
We will stay connected to nato.
Laura: A clear and decisive end
to a briefly tense but
ultimately successful trip.
This meeting between president
Biden and five nordic leaders
ended with all of them agreeing
that they will soon be
delivering bilateral agreements
on issues such as artificial
intelligence, climate change,
and their support for Ukraine.
Amna: President Biden is there
to celebrate Finland's an
addition to nato.
What is the significance of that
right now?
Laura: It has major
significance.
The Finnish president said it.
President Biden will go down in
history as someone who is keen
to ensuring Finland joined the
alliance and was very effusive
in his praise of the president
as were other nordic leaders
about the work that he has done
to keep nature together.
It is important that Finland is
in the alliance because that
ended the history of neutrality
that they have had of military
nonalignment and also very much
was important to baltic states.
When I was in Lithuania, those
that are talked to me about the
fact that it was important to
them that countries like Finland
and Sweden be admitted to the
alliance so that way, their
collective security could be
insured against Russian
aggression.
Laura: President -- amna:
President Biden was also asked
about this issue.
Is he incentivizing pressure to
never end their war in Ukraine?
How is he addressing that?
Laura: President Biden was very
forceful in saying that the
question of Ukraine's nato
membership is much broader than
Ukraine when he was asked about
this.
Hugh said that, look, if any
country were at war and wanted
membership to nato, they would
not get it because of the fact
that it could start World War
III.
He was also saying that
ultimately, he believes that
Putin has already -- Vladimir
Putin, the Russian president,
has already lost war.
It was striking because of the
fact that at the same time he is
saying Putin has already lost
the war, the president still
will not define exactly what an
end to this conflict looks like.
Amna: President Biden at the
summit made a number of promises
about short-term and long-term
support to Ukraine.
He returns to Washington
tonight.
Laura, how does he make sure he
makes good on those promises?
Laura: There are a number of
deliverables that the president
is going to have to get across
the finish line including those
f-16s that were promised to be
transferred to Turkey.
The white house said that was
not necessarily an exchange for
Sweden being able to join nato
but of course it was key to this
deal ultimately getting done.
There has been opposition to the
f-16s going to Turkey.
He will need to get this through
congress in addition to more
Ukraine security assistance and
we have seen continued
resistance to helping Ukraine in
the house among Republicans and
then there's also the fact that
looming all of -- over all of
this is 2024.
When it was official from the
United Kingdom or a Finnish
reporter today at the press
conference asking and posing to
the United States this question
of how can allies be sure that
the U.S. Is going to
consistently be part of nato and
be willing to help its allies
when, if 2024 comes in president
Biden ultimately loses, the next
president, such as former
president Donald Trump, may very
well not want to be as forceful
in repairing these allegiances
and being part of this alliance.
Amna: Our white house
correspondent traveling with the
president and reporting tonight
from Finland.
Laura, thank you.