Finland’s Leader Leverages Biden Face Time to Boost Ties

(Bloomberg) -- Finnish President Sauli Niinisto met with President Joe Biden in the White House, signaling that he's looking for a closer relationship with the superpower after Finland's neighbor Russia invaded Ukraine.

They agreed to start a “clear process” to enhance security and defense cooperation, also involving Nordic partners, Niinisto, 73, told reporters after their talks in Washington, D.C. on Friday. Asked whether that means Finland has nudged toward NATO membership, Niinisto said his country “has moved to a much closer cooperation with the U.S.,” adding that refers to concrete actions “rather than any memberships.”

The debate on joining NATO has intensified in Finland and its bigger Nordic neighbor Sweden. Both countries have seen a historic shift in attitudes to military alignment with NATO since Russia's attack, with about half the population now supporting entry.

It's the third time the presidents are in direct contact in recent months, after phone calls in December and January. The two phoned Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson toward the end of the meeting, on Biden's initiative, Niinisto said, without elaborating on the contents of the call.

The war in Ukraine has crippled one of the cornerstones of Finland's foreign policy: maintaining good relations with Russia, forcing its policy makers to scramble. The Finnish border with Russia is the longest among European Union members, at around 1,300 kilometers (800 miles).

The concern is that any bid to enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization without security guarantees would risk making Finland more vulnerable.

“Finland is a critical partner” of the U.S. “especially in the strength and security of the Baltic Sea area,” Biden said before their talks.

In December, Biden told Niinisto that Finland's decision to buy Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter jets in a $11 billion warplane-fleet revamp would provide “a strong foundation for even closer bilateral defense ties for years to come.”

Strong security coordination is also taking place with Sweden. Andersson and Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist are traveling to Finland on Saturday for a meeting with their counterparts and Niinisto.

Niinisto has come to be known for his fairly frequent contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin even as other western leaders have increasingly shunned Russia's head of state over his ambitions in the former Soviet space, especially after the 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. The two have not spoken since Russia launched its offensive, Niinisto has said.

The departure of long-term German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made Niinisto's role more visible, with some pundits speculating the Finnish president has provided a back-channel to Putin for western leaders.