Biden will welcome heads of Finland and Sweden as they apply to join NATO alliance

The heads of Finland and Sweden will come to the White House Thursday for a meeting with President Joe Biden as the two countries seek to join the powerful NATO alliance amid Russia’s furious warnings.

Both nations indicated they wanted to cast aside their long-held neutrality following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in just one aspect of how the war is reshaping European politics.

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland will meet with Biden shortly before he heads to Korea and Japan, at a time of deep political tensions in Eastern Europe.

Finland shares an 810-mile border with Russia, and has long sought to maintain stable relations with its nuclear eastern neighbor even while closely aligning with the west on economic policy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Finland was making a ‘mistake’ and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blasted the move this weekend, claiming ‘The collective West has announced a total hybrid war on us.’

‘The leaders will discuss Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications and European security, as well as strengthening our close partnerships across a range of global issues and support for Ukraine,’ according to the White House.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has raised concerns about the move, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu said the two countries had imposed restrictions on defense sales to Turkey that were ‘unacceptable.’

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That raised the prospect that other members of the 30-nation alliance might use the application to try to gain concessions.

Erdogan on Tuesday accused both nations of harboring members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey also accuses the nations of harboring supporters of Fethullah Gulen, who the regime accuses of fomenting a 2016 coup attempt.