In the six and a half months since Biden made his first phone call to Ninistos proposing to join NATO, the security situation in Europe has changed dramatically. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dismissed long-standing concerns about the security of nations along its borders. And countries that for decades have pursued a strict policy of neutrality are suddenly reconsidering their stance.
Efforts by Finland and Sweden to join NATO have also been the work of months of steady diplomacy and, in recent days, an intense turmoil of phone calls and meetings between senior officials.
The process was described by senior US and European officials.
Ahead of this week’s summit, few of these officials believed that issues hindering the two Nordic countries’ membership would be resolved by the time leaders leave Madrid. Instead, they resigned to make progress on an issue they believed could be extended for months longer.
Instead, a marathon of meetings, a strategic timeline from Biden to Erdogan and a last-minute signature paved the way for the newest NATO members. In the end, Biden narrowed the prospect of a formal meeting with Erdogan on the sidelines of this week’s summit as he pushed the plan to the finish line.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is clear why Finland and Sweden will consider abandoning their long-standing security stances to join NATO. But in December, before Russian tanks began to roll in Ukraine, the outlook was more bleak.
However, on December 13, Biden called Niinistö to come up with the idea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been assembling troops and equipment along Ukraine’s border. And it was clear to him that the security situation in Europe was going to change dramatically.
In March, after the invasion began, Biden invited Ninisto to the White House for talks. Sitting in the Oval Office and fragmenting the details of the proposal, the two men picked up the phone and called Anderson in Sweden – where he had spent the night – to complete it.
In May, the two countries formally submitted their applications for membership in the NATO alliance. The next day, he was in the White House Rose Garden with Biden marking a historic milestone.
“After 200 years of military commitment, Sweden has chosen a new path,” Anderson said.
“Finland made its decision after a quick but very thorough process,” Niinistö added.
The blurring of Rose Garden celebrations, however, was strongly opposed by Turkey for adding new members to the alliance. The longest-serving NATO member, Erdogan has accused nations of hosting members of Kurdistan’s separatist militant Workers’ Party, also known as the PKK, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization.
He also wanted the countries to get rid of the embargo on arms sales to Turkey that came into effect after Turkey’s military intervention in northern Syria in 2019.
The three countries continued to talk. But in a conscious decision, Biden tried to keep his distance and avoid putting the United States in the middle. Biden, on the other hand, “chose his moments selectively to try to help lift the scales to cross the finish line,” according to a senior government official.
“Americans do not want to put themselves in the middle of this case because the price then goes up,” said a European official. “If the American (President) shows in some way that this is the problem, (Erdogan) will have a lot of other things he wants to ask for.”
However, talks continued between the various parties. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with their Turkish counterparts. Finland and Sweden have maintained their own talks with Turkey. And the conversations stopped.
As the Madrid Summit approached, US and European officials became increasingly frustrated with Turkish resistance, which some believed was deliberate in extracting concessions. Officials who once said privately that they hoped the Madrid summit would serve as a welcoming party for the two youngest members of the alliance believed the prospect was unlikely.
“I am not sitting here today and I suggest that all issues be resolved by Madrid,” Sullivan said on Monday – a day before Biden arrived in Madrid.
But as the summit approached, signs of progress appeared. And on Tuesday morning, Biden received a request from Ninisto and Anderson: It was the right time to call Erdogan.
Speaking from the Bavarian Alps, where he was attending the G7 summit, Biden encouraged the then unruly Turkish leader to “seize the moment and do so in Madrid,” the government official said. And he told him that if an agreement could be reached before the start of the summit, it would pave the way for a formal bilateral meeting between the two men in Spain.
“It is Turkey’s standard business process not to make concessions until the last possible moment. And this last possible moment is usually defined as bilateral with the US president,” the European official said.
The strategy proved to be effective. Early in the evening, Ninisto, Anderson and Erdogan announced that Turkey’s objections had been rejected and that Finland and Sweden’s applications for NATO membership would be granted. Biden will also meet formally with Erdogan on Wednesday.
Turkey said it “got what it wanted” in the agreement, including co-operation to “extradite terrorist terrorists”. A senior US government official said there were “a lot of moving parts” and not “a word or phrase” that proved the end point.
Erdogan’s long-standing grievances to the United States, including Washington’s refusal to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and its demand from the United States to extradite a priest accused of plotting a coup – remain unlikely. emerge in his meeting with Biden.
Whatever the controversy once was, however, leaders hailed the result as a triumph. And more than four months after Russia’s war in Ukraine, NATO is ready to welcome two new members.
“Congratulations to Finland, Sweden and Turkey on signing a tripartite memorandum – a crucial step towards NATO’s invitation to Finland and Sweden, which will strengthen our Alliance and strengthen our collective security – and a very a good way to start the Summit “. Biden wrote on Twitter.
The picture was from their meeting in May as they entered the Rose Garden.
