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US assures Sweden, Finland of military support as Turkey delays NATO entry

Jared Szuba
Jared Szuba
May 18, 2022
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg poses with application documents presented by Finland's Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen and Sweden's Ambassador to NATO Axel Wernhoff during a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in Brussels, on May 18, 2022.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg poses with application documents presented by Finland's Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen and Sweden's Ambassador to NATO Axel Wernhoff during a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in Brussels, on May 18, 2022. — JOHANNA GERON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration is offering military support to bolster the defenses of Sweden and Finland against potential Russian actions as Turkey threatens to delay the two Nordic countries’ admission into the NATO alliance.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sat down with Sweden’s Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Earlier today, the governments in both Stockholm and Helsinki formally applied to join the alliance for the first time as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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NATO Russian influence

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