US welcomes Finland's accession to NATO and calls on Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden's accession

(Patria) - The US has formally welcomed Finland as the 31st member of NATO and called on Turkey and Hungary to quickly approve Sweden's accession as well, agencies report.

Finland and Sweden applied for membership last May, following Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Their membership was not approved by Turkey, and then by Hungary, for various reasons. US President Joe Biden praised the Nordic countries for being "strong democracies" with very capable militaries that "share our values and vision of the world".

"When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong," Biden said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Finland's accession is a historic day and commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I am tempted to say that this is perhaps the only thing we can thank Mr. Putin for, because he accelerated something that he claims to want to prevent," Blinken said.

The US President said that Europe and NATO are more united than ever, promising to preserve transatlantic security and jointly defend "every inch of NATO territory". Finland became the 31st member of NATO in record time, in less than a year.

Biden said he is pleased with Sweden's accession to NATO. He encouraged Turkey and Hungary to "complete their ratification processes without delay".