US President Joe Biden was meeting with royals in Spain on Tuesday when news broke that a bold plan he had drawn up six months ago was nearing completion.

The leaders of Finland and Sweden were meeting in a conference room with the leader of Turkey, who for weeks had put up obstacles to their NATO membership.

The group had made a breakthrough.

But they wanted one last check to ensure Biden's approval,

CNN reports.

Leaving the meeting with King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace, the American head of state was informed about the agreement reached by the President of Finland, Sauli Niinisto and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Magdalena Andersson with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

And he "pressed the green button", Telegrafi reports.

In the six and a half months since Biden had his first phone conversation with Niinisto suggesting he join NATO, the security situation in Europe has changed drastically.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has upended long-held assumptions about the security of nations along its borders.

And countries that had supported a strict policy of neutrality for decades are suddenly revising their position, Telegrafi reports.

"Their decision to leave neutrality and the tradition of neutrality to join the NATO alliance will make us stronger and safer, and NATO stronger," Biden said. at the beginning of the NATO summit in Madrid.

"We are sending an unmistakable message in my view... that NATO is strong, united, and the steps we are taking during this summit will further increase our collective strength," he added.

Biden said that with the acceptance of both Scandinavian countries, there were signals that the intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin to curb NATO's eastward expansion had failed.

"I said that Putin was looking for the 'Finlandization' of Europe.

He will get the 'NATOisation' of Europe, and this is exactly what he did not want, this is exactly what needs to be done to ensure security for Europe.

And I think this is necessary," he said.

Efforts to get Finland and Sweden into NATO were the work of several months of steady diplomacy and, over the last few days, a large number of phone calls and meetings between senior officials.

The process was described by senior US and European officials.

On Wednesday, NATO formally extended invitations to Finland and Sweden to join the alliance.

Going into this week's summit, few of those officials believed the issues blocking the two Scandinavian countries' admission would be resolved by the time the leaders left Madrid.

Instead, they gave up on making progress on a case they believed could drag on for months, the Telegraph reports.

Instead, marathon meetings and a telephone conversation between Biden and Erdogan resulted in the opening of the way for the newest members of NATO.

In the end, Biden buried the prospect of a formal meeting with Erdogan on the sidelines of this week's summit as he pushed the plan toward the finish line.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is clear why Finland and Sweden would consider abandoning their old security postures to join NATO.

But in December, before Russian tanks began rolling into Ukraine, the outlook was more distant.

However, on December 13, Biden called Niiniston to raise the idea.

Putin had massed troops and equipment along Ukraine's borders.

And it was clear to him that the security situation in Europe would change dramatically.

In March, after the invasion began, Biden invited Niiniston to the White House for talks.

Sitting in the Oval Office and summarizing the details of the proposal, the two men picked up the phone and called Andersson in Sweden.

In May, both countries formally submitted their applications to join the NATO alliance.

The next day, they were in the Rose Garden of the White House with Biden marking a historic moment.

"After 200 years of military disengagement, Sweden has chosen a new path," Andersson said.

"Finland has made its decision after a quick but very thorough process," added Niinisto.

However, the party in the Rose Garden encountered strong resistance from Turkey to add new members to the alliance.

Long the most defiant NATO member, Erdogan accused the nations of harboring members of the militant separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as the PKK, which Turkey views as a terrorist organization.

He also wanted countries to lift an arms embargo on Turkey that was imposed after the Turkish state'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.

Instead, Biden "took a few moments to get this over the finish line," according to a senior administration official.

"The Americans don't want to put themselves in the middle of that, because then the price goes up," said one European official.

"If the American (President) somehow shows that this is the problem, (Erdogan) will increase his demands", he added.

However, talks continued between the various parties.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with their Turkish counterparts.

Finland and Sweden held their talks with Turkey.

And the talks broke down.

As the Madrid summit approached, US and European officials grew increasingly frustrated by Turkey's resistance, which some believed was being deliberately done to extract concessions.

Officials who once said privately they hoped the Madrid summit would act as a welcome party for the alliance's two newest members believed the prospect to be unlikely.

"I'm not sitting here today suggesting that all the issues will be resolved from Madrid," Sullivan said Monday — a day before Biden arrived in Madrid.

But as the summit approached, there were signs of progress.

And on Tuesday morning, Biden received a request from Niinisto and Andersson: The time was right for him to call Erdogan.

Speaking from the Bavarian Alps, where he was attending the G7 summit, Biden encouraged Turkey's then-rebel leader to "seize the moment and do it in Madrid," the administration official said.

And he told him if agreement could be reached before the start of the summit, it would set the stage for a formal bilateral meeting between the two men in Spain.

"It is Turkey's standard operating procedure not to make concessions until the last possible moment.

And this last possible moment is usually defined as a bilateral relationship with the US president," the European official said.

The strategy proved effective.

By early evening, Niinisto, Andersson and Erdogan were announcing that Turkey's objections had been lifted and Finland's and Sweden's applications to join NATO would go ahead.

And Biden will officially meet with Erdogan on Wednesday.

Turkey said it "got what it wanted" in the deal, including cooperation on "extradition of terrorist criminals".

The senior US administration official said there were "a bunch of moving parts" and not a "single word or phrase" proving the final sticking point.

Erdogan's longstanding grievances with the United States, including Washington's refusal to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and his demand that the US extradite a cleric he accuses of cultivating a coup attempt, remain unresolved — and will likely arise in his meeting with Biden.

However, despite the erstwhile disagreement, the leaders hailed the outcome as a triumph.

And more than four months after Russia's war in Ukraine, NATO is poised to welcome two new members.

"Congratulations to Finland, Sweden and Turkey for signing a tripartite memorandum – a crucial step towards a NATO invitation to Finland and Sweden, which will strengthen our Alliance and strengthen our collective security – and a great way to to start the Summit," Biden wrote on Twitter.

/Telegraph/


⚡️Turkey is withdrawing its opposition and will support Finland and Sweden joining NATO at this week's Alliance summit – the countries signed a joint statement after the talks in Madrid.

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— Flash (@Flash43191300) June 28, 2022