Biden is closing out his Europe trip by showcasing new NATO member Finland

The brief stop in the shoreline Finnish capital is the coda to Joe Biden’s tour that was carefully sketched to highlight the growth of the NATO, that the President says has fortified itself since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden is closing out a five-day trip to Europe on July 13 standing alongside Nordic leaders in an effort to show NATO’s expanding power and influence against a burgeoning Russia.

The brief stop in the shoreline Finnish capital is the coda to a Mr. Biden tour that was carefully sketched to highlight the growth of the military alliance that the president says has fortified itself since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined as NATO’s newest member earlier this year, an entry that effectively doubled the alliance’s border with Russia.

“I've been doing this a long time,” Mr. Biden said as he opened a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö at the presidential palace in Helsinki. “I don't think NATO has ever been stronger.”

Indeed, Mr. Biden arrived in Helsinki after what he deemed a successful annual NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies agreed to language that would further pave the way for Ukraine to also become a member. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit's outcome “a significant security victory" for his country but nonetheless expressed disappointment Kyiv did not get an outright invitation to join NATO.

Mr. Biden and other administration officials also held what aides said were pivotal conversations with Ankara shortly before Turkey reversed course and dropped its objections to Sweden joining NATO.

“I’m feeling good about the trip,” Mr. Biden told reporters Wednesday before the flight to Finland. “You know, we accomplished every goal we set out to accomplish.”

And despite Mr. Zelenskyy's expressed frustrations, Mr. Biden — who met with the Ukrainian leader on July 12 afternoon in Vilnius — said on July 13 that Mr. Zelenskyy “ended up being very happy.”