Washington, March 3 (AFP\/APP): President Joe Biden will host Finland’s president, Sauli Niinisto, at the White House on Friday to discuss defense issues against a backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n
They will “continue their conversations about enforcing our strong bilateral relations,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
\nThey are set to “discuss the US-Finnish defense relationship, which is very strong and in fact complements Finland’s close partnership with NATO,” she said.<\/p>\n
Finland is not a member of NATO, but has close ties to the Western alliance, and the Russian war against Ukraine has reignited debate about whether the relationship should be deepened.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Niinisto called for “a cool head.”
\n“In the midst of an acute crisis it is particularly important to keep a cool head and carefully assess the impact on our security,” Niinisto said.
\nPetitions in favor of a Finnish referendum on NATO membership have amassed tens of thousands of signatures in the last week, meaning the issue will be debated by lawmakers in parliament.<\/p>\n
Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia, remained neutral during the Cold War in exchange for assurances from Moscow that Soviet troops would not invade.<\/p>\n
The Nordic country of 5.5 million people has since joined the European Union and enjoys a close partnership with NATO, sharing intelligence and resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington, March 3 (AFP\/APP): President Joe Biden will host Finland’s president, Sauli Niinisto, at the White House on Friday to discuss defense issues against a backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, officials said Thursday. They will “continue their conversations about enforcing our strong bilateral […]<\/p>\n
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