No member states should be able to free-ride within NATO.
When it comes to President Biden's health, there are no comments. That is Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's message ahead of the meeting in Washington.
The Prime Minister and Finnish President Alexander Stubb unexpectedly shared a flight to Washington and this week's NATO meeting. When the Finnish President encountered transportation problems, he was offered a ride from Sweden. Once on site, they held a joint press conference at the Swedish embassy.
I feel incredibly welcome as a NATO member. There are high expectations and a respect for what we can do, says Ulf Kristersson ahead of the meeting where Sweden is now a member for the first time.
Canada a sinner
Kristersson reiterated the stance he raised in a debate article in Dagens Nyheter earlier in the week – all member states should be prepared to contribute to defense expenditures with at least two percent of gross national product. This issue is likely to come up during this week's meeting, and among the sinners are, for example, Canada.
We are already above two percent and it's going up quickly, we are perceived as a net contributor, says Kristersson about the Swedish contribution.
The message to all countries is that two percent is not a ceiling but a floor. I believe we will see high expectations from other NATO countries, he says about the demands on member states.
Impressed by Biden
Beyond this and support for Ukraine, there is a strong focus on President Joe Biden and his health status, something that has been actualized in connection with the televised debate against Donald Trump recently. Both Alexander Stubb and Ulf Kristersson received questions about this, but the answers were brief:
I have no comments or knowledge about President Biden's health. I have met him four times and been impressed all four times, says Kristersson.
