NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who’s on a four-day working visit in Washington D.C. – from May 31 to June 3, 2022 – is expected to meet with top US officials, including the State Secretary Antony Blinken.
Stoltenberg will meet with Blinken on Wednesday, after which a joint press conference is expected, the press release from NATO says, and he’ll also make joint remarks with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after their scheduled meeting on Thursday.
According to the NATO release, the NATO secretary-general is also expected to meet with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and will also give a speech at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Stoltenberg’s visit comes almost two weeks after President Joe Biden met with top leaders from Finland and Sweden – the Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson – which have formally applied for NATO membership after the Russian invasion shifted their stances on joining the alliance.
Pointing out that Finland and Sweden make NATO stronger, President Biden voiced his support for both countries joining the military alliance, something that all 30 NATO nations must agree on.
He called on the US Senate to approve both countries’ NATO membership once NATO adopts the accession protocols and the perspectives of all allies are addressed.
Blinken said last Friday that the consensus in NATO for the admission of Finland and Sweden is very strong and that the US is confident that both countries would be able to join the military alliance swiftly.
However, Turkey has voiced strong objections to their memberships, spawning a level of uncertainty about whether those requests will ultimately be successful.
Stoltenberg also met with officials from Finland and Sweden earlier this month after their countries submitted their NATO membership applications.
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