Remarks by Vice President Harris, Prime Minister Marin of Finland, and Prime Minister Kristersson of Sweden Before Trilateral Meeting

Commerzbank
Munich, Germany

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  Well, it is my honor and privilege to be with two very important friends of the United States and allies.  And we have had brief discussions, and we’ll now go to a meeting where we’ll have much more extensive conversation about our mutual commitment to the transatlantic Alliance, to Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, and to the work that we must do to strengthen all of the principles that we hold dear.
 
I was privileged and honored to be with the President of the United States when he actually signed the papers about the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO.  And we are very excited about the trajectory of all of this and the importance of the unity between our countries.  So, I thank you both.
 
And, Madam Prime Minister, if you’d like to say a few words.
 
PRIME MINISTER MARIN:  It’s very important that we are here together at the Munich Security Conference and that we are all speaking of Ukraine — the help, the support that Ukraine needs.
 
And it was very inspiring and very important what you said earlier in your speech that whatever might happen in the future in the United States, that you will continue supporting Ukraine.  I think that’s a very powerful and clear message.  And I want to thank you for that and also for your great support in our NATO application path.
 
And hopefully, before Vilna, both countries will become members of NATO. 
 
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  That’s right.
    
Mr. Prime Minister.
 
PRIME MINISTER KRISTERSSON:  Thank you, Vice President.  So pleased to be here to meet with you and to our friends from Finland.  We are really partners in supporting Ukraine.  Under not least your leadership, but I think the European unity and the European and transatlantic unity has been of paramount importance. 
 
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  Yes.
 
PRIME MINISTER KRISTERSSON:  And we started the process together with Finland to join NATO, and we — we hope to fulfill — to complete it together with Finland as well.
 
Thank you so much.
 
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  Well, we have lots of work to do together, and I look forward to our conversation.  Thank you.
 
PRIME MINISTER MARIN:  Thank you.
 
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