Biden is scheduled to depart on July 9 for the United Kingdom, then on to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius for a meeting of NATO leaders, followed by a one-day visit to Helsinki for talks with his Nordic counterparts, the White House said in a statement on Sunday.
US President Joe Biden. Photo: AFP
The NATO summit comes as the Western military alliance seeks to admit Sweden, which has been blocked from joining by Turkey and Hungary. Finland became a full member of the bloc earlier this year.
Before heading to Europe, Mr. Biden will host Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the White House next Wednesday to discuss Stockholm's NATO membership.
Sweden has asked to join the military alliance by May 2022, three months after Russia attacked Ukraine. Top diplomats from Turkey and Sweden will meet Thursday at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Türkiye withdrew its objections to Finland’s accession earlier this year. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week denounced Stockholm for allowing a protest in which a man burned pages from the Koran.
Western allies and Stockholm insist that Sweden has met the terms of the alliance accession deal agreed with Ankara last year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday he wanted his country to receive an “invitation” at the Vilnius summit to join NATO after its war with Moscow ends.
"We need a clear and understandable signal at the Vilnius summit that Ukraine can become an equal member of NATO after the war," he told reporters in Kiev alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
During his stop in the UK, Mr Biden will visit Windsor Castle to meet King Charles III for the first time since his coronation, as well as hold further talks in London with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a month after his visit to Washington.
The White House said Mr Biden would seek to "further strengthen the close relationship" with the UK, adding that further details of the trip would be announced soon.
The visit “reflects the strong relationship between the UK and the US”, a statement from Downing Street said, adding that Mr Sunak “looks forward to welcoming President Biden to the UK later this month”.
Mai Anh (according to AFP, CNA)
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