Sweden and Finland in NATO, US supports membership and demands urgent explanations from Turkey, White House and Pentagon react

US President Joe Biden has emphasized the "close security and defense co-operation" between the United States, Finland and Sweden in a joint telephone call with their leaders, during which he also encouraged their membership in NATO.

The White House said in a statement that Biden "reiterated their joint commitment to continue coordinating in support of Ukraine and the war-torn Ukrainian people."

"President Biden underlined his support for NATO's open door policy and for Finland and Sweden's right to decide for themselves on their future, foreign policy and security arrangements," the House said in a statement. White.

He spoke with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Ninisto. The White House and the Pentagon later said they were seeking clarification on possible objections from NATO ally Turkey to Finnish and Swedish membership.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would not repeat the same mistakes as Greece and accused the Nordic states of being hostels to "terrorist organizations".