Finland, US vow to boost bilateral ties

President Sauli Niinistö and his counterpart in United States Joseph R. Biden on Friday held a meeting at White House where leaders of both the countries vowed to strengthen bilateral relations, including closer cooperation in security and defense issues.

Niinistö at a press conference after the meeting said that Finland has moved towards clearly closer co-operation with the United States in security and defense matters.

The Presidents met to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and ensuring strong defense and deterrence in northern Europe, said a White House press release after the meeting.

The leaders also discussed ongoing transatlantic coordination to impose costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified military invasion of Ukraine, and their respective efforts to provide security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

They committed to start a process that would strengthen U.S.-Finnish security cooperation, which would be conducted in close consultation with other Nordic countries.

The Presidents also discussed the importance of NATO’s Open Door policy. In addition, they discussed energy security and efforts to address climate change.

“Thank you, @POTUS@JoeBiden, for the long and candid discussion in the Oval Office. I look forward to taking new steps in strengthening the Finnish-American relationship,” Niinistö wrote in his twitter post after the meeting.

Earlier, before the meeting Biden in his twitter wrote, “I look forward to hosting Finnish President Sauli Niinistö at the White House this afternoon for a bilateral meeting. We’ll be discussing the latest developments regarding Russia’s war on Ukraine and how to strengthen European security.”