it to us, make it die gettable. it was always about the news, about his reporting. there was no self-grandizement. it is pete williams, and it's a gut-punch he's leaving to all of us but we're happy for him. >> and we'll see more of your fabulous focus groups. really insightful. can't wait for it. jose diaz-balart picks up the coverage right now. good morning. it's 10:00 a.m./7:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. very busy thursday. right now on capitol hill, the head of the fda is ed testifying before lawmakers as millions of families scramble to find baby formula. as president biden now takes major steps to address the shortage. also happening at the white house this hour, leaders from finland and sweden are meeting with president biden as they apply for nato membership amid

russia's invasion of ukraine. we'll ask the head of the foreign relations committee, senator bob menendez, about what's next for the u.s. response to that crisis. in new york, the suspected gunman in a racist shooting in a buffalo store is in court this morning as they launch a probe into the suspect's social media footprint. we begin with the dire situation facing families across the country, the baby formula shortage. the president taking dramatic emergency steps, invoking the defense production act to ramp up manufacturing as two bills, one sending $28 million to the fda and the other expanding formula access for low income families make their way through the senate. nbc news is the first to obtain a letter from two senate democrats urging president biden to, quote, immediately assign a

coordinator to work with formula manufacturers. meanwhile, any moment now, the fda commissioner is going to be testifying before a house committee where he's expected to be asked about how this shortage happened and how it's being fixed. joining us now, nbc's josh lederman from the vitali. dr. redletter, at least two children have already been hospitalized in tennessee because their parents couldn't find the formula they needed. how important is formula? >> formula is important for moms choosing not to breast-feed, which would be preferable, but i think we should not have parents be panicking about this. when a baby is 6 months old, it's perfectly fine, temporarily, to use cow's milk,

as long as the baby is on other foods, as long as the baby gets iron fortification. i think parents should, first of all, not be trying to make their own formulas from homemade mixes they see on the internet and they should not be using unauthorized imported formulas. hang in there. i think the white house is going to fix this promptly. it will be a few weeks before we see formula back on the shelves. in the meantime, we need to investigate why this happened in the first place and make sure parents are reassured to alternative methods that are healthy. >> let's talk about those alternative methods to make sure their babies are healthy. god forbid your child is lactose intolerant and the issue of cow's milk goes out the window. what are some of the things parents should be looking for, and especially as you say, there's so much bad information online about options and alternatives.

>> yeah, this is. this goes across the board. we've had this during the pandemic, horrendously inaccurate and frighting information that comes across the internet about covid and now we're seeing it about making infant formula. by the way, you can get lactose-free milk. that should be the alternative for babies who are, in fact, lactose intolerant. in the meantime, parents need to be aware of some of the things they're seeing on the internet, on social media, and recommendations from friends that are actually not safe, jose. so, the alternative right now is use cow's milk and wait for the few weeks until the formula's back on the shelves. >> doctor, important information you're giving us this morning. josh, what does it mean the president invoked the defense production act? >> this is all about ingredients, jose. baby formula is actually a fairly complicated mix of ingredients. in some cases, dozens just to make one type of baby formula.

so, invoking the defense production act, as president biden announced last night that he is doing, will allow the government to order companies who might have conflicting orders to sell the ingredients. let's say you make a soy or milk product and you might sell it to various food products of which baby formula is just one and you owe all those companies orders that they have put in. biden can now order companies to first fulfill those orders to the baby formula manufacturers so that they have everything they need to quickly ramp up production. the other major step that the white house is announcing is what they are calling operation sly formula, this new military contracted planes from air carriers, cargo carriers, are going to be used to fly baby formula over from european and other countries following an announcement from the fda that they are going to green light approval imfor importing some foreign formulas we don't

traditionally use here in the u.s. >> i just wonder why there's been no bringing in formula from canada, europe, mexico, even from latin america. i don't know why that hasn't been thought of. but, ali, talk to us about what the hill is doing to look into what went wrong here. >> jose, i've actually been asking some of the similar questions you've been asking about why we're not bringing it in from other places. that's certainly been something up for discussion. there are some people who think it's an implication of the trump era u.s. mca, that new nafta bill. that's one of the pieces to that here, too. on the hill last night we finally saw come to fruition the conversation that's been happening for a couple of days. two bills. one, to be given through the wic program. that passed in overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion here in the house. and then the other piece of it, that $28 million in emergency supplemental funding. that was heralded by chairwoman

rosa delora in the appropriations committee. that passed much more along party lines, though. i think taking a step back here in congress, this is a conversation some lawmakers have been having for many months now because of the thing that happened with abbott nutrition back in february. one of their main plants in sturgis, michigan, closing down. when you ask people like senator patty murray where she lays the blame, she says it's at everyone. listen to what she told us. >> you know, i give everybody an f on the entire spectrum of this, from the company itself to the fda oversight, to the inner agencies who didn't talk to eacher, to the entire problem. nobody focused on this like they needed to. senator casey and i were talking about this to abbott, to fda, and to everyone in february and it was just sort of ho-hum. >> reporter: it's why you see senator casey introducing a bill to try to ee meal rate this going forward, empower the fda a

little bit, and the $28 million in in funding that passed the house, that's also going to the fda but it's probably probably got a short road because in the senate they're going to try today to do something called unanimous consent, get all 100 senators on board to pass this. that's not likely to happen so it's likely the senate could leave town without acting on this, even though the house did. >> doctor, i want you to repeat some things that you did. authorities say, when you see a crisis, go speak to your local pediatrician. a lot of folks don't have that access. we have the access with you. talk to the parents right now that are worried. >> right. and i understand why people are worried. but here's the thing that i think parents should know and they should speak to their doctor if they have one easily accessible. here's the message. there is a way of handling this problem temporarily, which is by giving cow's milk to babies that are over 6 months. so, we leave whatever supply we

have for the babies under 6 months. parents should not use any kind of homemade formula they see on the internet, and they should not use formula that's been imported that has not been approved by our fda. i think parents should just get the cow's milk, make sure they do speak to their doctor about iron supplements and other nutritional supplements for their babies, but not to worry, not to worry about the necessity of giving cow's milk temporarily until they get this problem fixed, which i think will just be a matter of weeks. we just have to make sure that the senate stays and does their business. for parents out there, don't worry. just do what you have to do. and things are going to get better shortly. >> doctor, thank you very much. josh, thank you. ali vitali, reporter on capitol hill and brand-new book author, we'll talk about that some time soon, thank you for being with

us. while much of the focus around baby shortage has been focused on babies, it's also necessarily necessary for others. joins us is liz cruz, her son needs formula to maintain a healthy weight. how has this crisis affected you? how is it for you and your child? >> it's a very bad crisis because he is an 11-year-old. he does eat by mouth. the issue is he doesn't maintain enough calories in order to gain weight. he needs pediasur 1.5 in order to maintain his weight. we have been having tremendous issue getting this formula. not only at home but also when he was admitted in the hospital in april. >> he spent, i understand, most of the month of april in the hospital. liz, this company shut down its factory in february, right?

this is something you've been seeing for some time now. >> well, i think i haven't experienced no issue until when he was in the hospital in april. before april, we were getting the formula with no issue. >> how many cases of formula do you have right now, for example? >> i have now up to the 26th of this month, i want to say. >> is it a specific formula your son needs? >> yes. he's on currently pediasure 1.5, which is a high calorie count formula. you cannot buy it at stores. it has to be specially delivered by a pharmacy. >> so, there's these big moves now. the white house announcing they'll be using all kinds of powers to get this going forward. do you think -- is it enough or is it too little, too late for

you? >> honestly, in my opinion, when it comes to older kids like my son, it's not enough because they're speaking about, oh, you could use cow's milk or do this temporarily, but we're talking about an 11-year-old. and are you going to get this going within the next week? >> liz cruz, thank you so very much. i thank you for being with us and all the best to you and to prince. that lovely young man. now to what could be, what very well could be, another dismal day on wall street as we learn more about how inflation is affecting the entire economy. we're down 260 points. look at the jump. this is just moments after it opened. now we're down at 280. this is really dropping. the dow jones is dropping one day after falling more than 1,100 points for its biggest loss in two years. the nasdaq and s&p 500 also saw

huge losses yesterday. the selloff fueled by worries about consumer spending. after major retailers including walmart, target and coles reported a drop in profits because of higher costs and lingering supply chain issues. with us now to talk about this, diane swann, chief economist for grant thornton and an adviser to the federal reserve. consumer spending is still strong. consumer confidence is really down. employers are still hiring. prices continue to rise. what is the state of the economy right now? >> well, the economy is still robust and resilient but that's a double-edged sword in an inflationary environment. inflation is something that erodes living standards across the board. it hits 100% of the economy. it also narrows profit margins as we've seen on wall street. that's something i think gets lost in translation. it is something we haven't had to deal with in decades. we've got no muscle memory for

it. but i think the reality is, the fed has sort of come to terms with this and they're very, very focused now, to an extreme. and i think they have to be on getting inflation down. that means getting inflation down, even if it means pain in employment. that's a very hard place to be in, but you don't want to allow this kind of inflation with both demand and a supply shock. you've got to sort of bring -- for the federal reserve, they have to bring demand down in line with a supply constrained global economy. that's a very difficult thing to do. if you don't, you risk stagflation of the 1970s and something that's much more corrosive and eroding for people across the board. it really is not a good situation over time. and it's something we're already feeling the heat from in terms of the burn. >> let's talk about that stagflation of the '70s, what exactly was that and what are the possibilities we could be facing something like that in

our future? >> certainly, stagflation was the word we used in 1973 when we had an oil embargo and took an already inflationary economy and collapsed demand. we had a rise in the unemployment rate, even as inflation was accelerating. some of the things we see out there, some things like the food inflation that's been exacerbated and energy inflation exacerbated by the war in ukraine, and actual food shortages we'll face over the summer. those are things that can get embedded in inflation and in people's behaviors. what the fed is trying to do is stop it from becoming the norm for us to expect prices to go up and have to make these really tough choices, even at the grocery store, even though the fed doesn't have a lot of influence over things like whether or not we have food shortages and all of the factors affecting that, including climate change. they have to deal with not allowing that getting impeded in our behaviors. that means hitting the brakes

pretty hard on the u.s. economy. they've even talked about the labor market, although it's good, it's not good enough if all you're doing is chasing inflation with your paychecks and you're not getting real wage gains. seeing your paychecks go further instead of less far out there. >> look, i mean, that's so important you mention that. the fact is that the cost of gasoline is really exorbitant. people use their automobiles and their trucks with diesel to transport all kinds of things and even for their everyday existence in our economy. the price of food, it seems like it's going up and up and up. is there any relief you see in the future to this, or is this just part of what we're going to have to experience? >> unfortunately, things will get worse before they get better. the good news is we're probably on peak inflation. that doesn't help most people hear, the year over year change may have already hit peak, it's still hot and hotter than your

paycheck is going up. that doesn't matter to most people. it's going to be like this, to our estimates, for the next 12 to 18 months. the good news is the fed does have a chance to actually rein this in. and the u.s. is better positioned to weather the storm of the crisis we're seeing globally and the effects of the war in ukraine than other parts of the world. we have to take that with the hope out there. >> that whole 12-month thing you just told us is really scary. thank you for being with us. we're also keeping our eyes on the white house right now. we'll take a look at that. there's the podium. the president is set up. the flags of finland, sweden and the united states. the president's going to be there delivering some remarks with the leaders from finland and sweden about their applications to nato. we will bring you that live when it occurs. first, senator bob menendez, chair of the foreign relations committee, joins us to talk about the senate vote on ukraine.

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now to capitol hill, where the senate is set to approve a $40 billion aid package for ukraine and send it to the president's desk. here to talk about this and other issues is senator bob menendez. it's always a pleasure to see you. what message is the u.s. sending to ukraine and russia with this aid package? >> well, we're expressing not only our solidarity with ukraine. we're doing everything we can to help it achieve victory in its defense of its nation, and in my view, a greater message not only to russia but to others that this is also a defensive rule of law and the proposition that you just cannot take over a country

and change its territorial boundaries by force. and our assistance to ukraine is a manifestation of that view. we want to do everything we can to help the ukrainians achieve victory against russia and the war crimes that russia has committed in ukraine. when you match today's vote with the fact that our embassy in kyiv has been reopened and yesterday to the senate foreign relations committee we passed through the u.s. ambassador to ukraine and last night the senate in lightning speed agreed to con fim her and she'll be on her way. the culmination of all those things is a powerful message that we're in total support of ukraine and its fight against this aggression of vladimir putin. >> senator, closer to home, the biden administration announced this week it is easing restrictions on cuba, including easier travel, remittances and investment into the

regime-controlled cuban economy. a move you called the wrong message to the wrong people at the wrong time and for all the wrong reasons. why? >> we see the regime's response. on the day the administration announced these unilateral concessions to the regime, the regime put into law as part of their penal code sweeping draconian consequences for people who exercise what we would call here in the united states, free speech, including the death penalty under certain circumstances for what would be an act of free speech. instead of insisting the regime move towards change of respect for human rights, peaceful protests, giving a voice to the cuban people, and stopping the jailing of dissidents, what we have is a unilateral concession that ultimately was responded to

by having a penal code that includes the death penalty for free speech activities. >> another unilateral movement was with venezuela, the biden administration announcing this week it's easing restrictions on chevron's ability to do work with the venezuelan regime and the nephew of the venezuelan first lady, accused of drug trafficking. you also slammed this in a statement saying giving undeserved handouts just so his regime will sit down at the negotiating table is a strategy destined to fail. why? >> we saw maduro do absolutely nothing, including humanitarian assistance to the people of venezuela. we talk about ukraine and the 5, 6 million who have fled ukraine in this horrific war. well, there are 5 million

venezuelans that have left venezuela under him. here we are working in dictatorships in a way that doesn't stand up for our proposition of democracy and human rights and rule of law. we didn't get any of the american citizens who are unjustly in prison in venezuela. we didn't bring in humanitarian court and humanitarian organizations and they have not returned to the negotiating table. so, i don't understand these moves when we get nothing in response. so, i think that's why i made the statements i did. >> senator, you also sit on the senate finance committee. what's your reaction to this baby formula crisis we're seeing in our country? what could or needs to be done?

>> well, i'm glad to see the fda has come to an agreement with abbott, which is the biggest producer of baby formula. i'm also happy to see the president has invoked the defense production act as a way to maximize the production of baby formula. of course, this all started when abbott's laboratories were -- or factory where the formula was created evidently had some level of contamination and affected some children. so it was shut down. that created the consequence. also i see the president has created an avenue for baby formula that may be created abroad and can be accepted into the united states to be accepted during this interim period. so, obviously this is a critical effort and important to so many families in our country. and so i'm glad to see all the elements of the federal government can come together to make this happen is coming

together. >> senator bob menendez around the world and back home, all kinds of questions for you. i appreciate you always coming forward and answering them. appreciate your time, sir. up next, former ukrainian president petro poroshenko will be here with us live to talk about the conditions on the ground in kyiv and why he still doesn't trust putin. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." art report. bam! ♪♪ it runs on t-mobile's wireless 5g network so all you gotta do is plug in one cord. t-mobile 5g home internet. just $50 bucks a month. no price hikes. no hidden fees. i did it. i switched to t-mobile home internet and i am loving it. don't sneak up on me like that. why didn't you tell me to switch earlier? ♪♪ panera chefs have crafted a masterpiece... why didn't you tell me succulent, seared chicken... a secret aioli... clean ingredients... in a buttery brioche roll. made fresh, to leave you... speechless. panera's new chef's chicken sandwiches.

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and no preservatives. try biotrue 31 past the hour. we're keeping a close eye on the white house where any minute now president biden is set to speak after meeting with leaders from finland and sweden as the two countries apply for nato membership. their push to join the alliance comes amid russia's invasion of ukraine. we'll bring you his remarks when they occur. in mariupol, russia says hundreds of ukrainian national guard fighters have surrendered after months of fighting. the red cross says it has registered hundreds of prisoners of war from that steel plant. joining us live from ukraine, nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin live from kharkiv in the eastern part of the country. you just returned from a bombed out village outside kharkiv. what did you see there? >> reporter: that's right.

we spent the day in a village outside of kharkiv, the second largest city in the country. we were there with war crimes investigators who were investigating what happened to that village in early march when they say russian planes flew over the village in the middle of the night, dropping seven bombs, destroying over 20 structures, killing three civilians as well as one military personnel. investigators believe the original target was supposed to have been a local school where they believe that some ukrainian border guard were hiding. the russians ended up striking pretty much everything else, including the home of 65-year-old ala. she told me she's lost everything, including her 31-year-old son. take a listen to what she had to say.

>> reporter: do you think there will be justice for you and your son? >> reporter: prosecutors say they may not have been able to stop the russians from carrying out this attack, but they say they certainly intend on holding them accountable, which is why the war crimes prosecutors were there, spending all day in this village going house to house, speaking to residents, collecting evidence, taking photographs, as well as soil samples. the prosecutor tells me they plan to bring the case either here in ukraine civilly or in some sort of international criminal court. they say they plan on prosecuting each and every one of the 11,000 war crimes investigations currently happening here in ukraine.

jose? >> erin mclaughlin in kharkiv. thank you. joining us, petro poroshenko, the former president of ukraine. mr. president, it's always a pleasant to speak to you. let's talk about mariupol. what is in store for the ukrainian fighters who are now prisoners of war? >> first of all, this is a symbol of ukrainian heroism of ukrainian armed forces. you cannot find any other example in the military history, 82 days without food, without water, they tied more than 20,000 russian troops, saving and helping to protect the whole of ukraine. number two, this is definitely important that all international organization recognize ukrainian fighters are prisoners of war. we should not allow putin to launch his own scenario when

putin to make so-called shoot them. russia has no jurisdiction. this is russia to come to mariupol. mariupol is ukraine. he come here to kill ukrainian civilians and to grab ukrainian land. we definitely should unite all the efforts to return ukrainian heroes back. without any delay, without any sick propaganda. and we definitely need to have them back alive. with this situation, i'm not so confident that we should united and then it would be great responsibility of the military criminal who killing and could make a disaster in mariupol. that situation, i'm absolutely we will have in the whole world so-called bucha, mariupol, when

dozens of thousands of civilians were killed by russians who put them in jail. >> mr. president, i'm reminded the missile that took down that russian ship was obtained under your administration. but since then, the ukrainians have gotten so much military support. i'm just thinking after 2014, when parts of ukraine were essentially taken over by russia and the world stood by, is there, do you think, a victory for the ukrainian people possible in the near future? >> first of all, ukraine will never give up. second victory would not only be for ukraine but the whole world. this is the whole western world. number three, this is -- i'm

proud me as supreme commander in chief 2014 to 2019, when i was elected to the president, we don't have any army. and we together with the united states, together with nato, create a new ukrainian armed forces who now demonstrate how -- what does it mean armed forces created by nato standards to fight against russia on the soviet union side. that's why we surprise the world. that's why ukrainian armed forces surprised the world. and that's why the ukrainian people by their unity surprised the world and you also surprised the world by solidarity with ukraine. with that situation, definitely our victories are unavoidable. and we need for them just three things -- weapons, weapons, and weapons. and can you imagine that the game-changer is just 510 to 1,000 armed personnel carriers.

300 jet carrier, missiles. the future of the whole world would be different. and i'm proud that under great leadership of the american president, joe biden, american administration, united states congress who demonstrate bipartisan support for ukraine and the most important, united states people unite the whole world and we have now the significant opportunity to counterattack russian troops because that is the only thing we need to stop russians and to counterattack that with this situation also we very much appreciate for lend/lease act. i call for civilized countries to follow the example of united states and make the same legislative initiative like

united states congress. we definitely take the position of the -- we very much appreciate for the $40 billion draft law, which voted already in the congress. we appreciate the leaders of the european union for $10 billion package supporting ukrainian reform, supporting ukrainian military assistance. and just remember, you not only are not simply assist in ukraine, you invest in your own security. you invest in the global security. you help us to -- help us save the world. >> mr. poroshenko, do you think russia -- that putin can survive ukraine?

>> look, that situation again, i see that the -- our main task is to deputize the world. to deputyize the world, we need to stop finance putin, make embargo for russia, not only oil and gas, not only fuel or coal. we should stop the international trade from russia. and this is the beginning now with this initiative. with the package of the european union sanction, with the next stage of the united states sanction. that is the beginning of the end of the putin regime. and the next step should be the bloc or the russian -- including oil, including commercial

vessel. we should stop them not to deliver any goods from russia. not to finance bombs for killing ukrainians. >> mr. president, we have about a minute before president biden is set to speak. very quickly, when you see finland and sweden ask for nato membership, do you think something ukraine, had they been able to do this before, this could have been avoided? we only have about a minute. >> first of all, i say not two but three countries. sweden, finland and ukraine. we have a very narrow window of opportunity. and we pray, please, support us. give us membership action plan. and definitely world would be significantly safer with a new, free nato member state. and nato summit, please, make a decision by giving us membership action plan. i was promised as a president many times. now, please, implement these promises.

that's just demonstration the world is not following putin. with this situation, we, ukrainian, defend the left -- or eastern flank of nato. that makes the world, that makes the united states, that makes nato significantly more secure. >> petro poroshenko, thank you very much for being with us. i always appreciate your time. and we're watching now the white house. we're seeing right outside the oval office right outside. you see the united states flags, finland and sweden. we'll be discussing about what the president announces and what he discusses. rick, i want to take advantage of you being here with us. in the sense, this is such an important thing. you know, nato, including hopefully, possibly, sweden and finland, it's really historically unusual.

>> yeah, jose, it is. ironically, it's exactly the thing putin didn't want to have happen, but he caused to happen by invading ukraine. he had been talking for a decade about the expansion of nato on his doorstep. and he was hoping to arrest it and what he did was stimulated these two countries that had been neutral for decades. sweden had been neutral for 200 years. finland was neutral and not aligned militarily with anybody since world war ii. and putin's invasion of ukraine has caused them to apply for nato membership. something that wasn't really in the cards even a few years ago. what you'll see, if you look at the map, you'll see all of the countries bordering russia, with the exception of ukraine now, will become nato members. >> rick, i think they're

actually walking down the exterior hallway that is going to lead to -- there we go. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> so, they've been meeting at the oval office. the president received them both. rick, you know what, it's -- when you say things, it's just extraordinary thing. sweden had been neutral for more than 200 years. i mean, these are extraordinary times. >> yes. in fact, some people have joked that putin has managed to do something stalin never did, which is to cause finland and sweden to become members of nato. so, it's just -- these countries are so alarmed by putin's

violation of the territorial sovereignty of their neighbor -- his neighbor, their long-term neighbors, and obviously finland and sweden have been close by russia for, you know, hundreds and hundreds of years. so, it looks like the president is about to start speaking. >> absolutely. rick, thank you very much. >> please, please be seated. thank you. it's not only a beautiful day, this is n my view, and the view of my team, a momentous day. it's a very, very good day. today i am proud to welcome and offer the strong support of the united states for the applications of two great democracies and two close, highly capable partners to join the strongest, most powerful defensive alliance in the history of the world.

two proud, independent countries, exercising their sovereign rights all states possess to decide their own security. president niinisto and prime minister andersson, it's a privilege to have you both at the white house as finland and sweden begin the process of joining nato. it was out of the wreckage of world war ii that nato was formed. and in seven decades that followed, nato has proved itself an indispensable alliance, committed to a europe-whole free and at peace. but in recent years, doubts began to arise. was nato still relevant? was it still effective? is it still needed in the 21st century world? today there's no question, nato is relevant, it is effective and

is more needed now than ever. the indispensable law since decades passed is still the indispensable alliance for the world we face today. and i would argue for tomorrow as well. and the decision of sweden and finland, the one they have made, is testament to that commitment. this is about the future. it's about a revived nato that has the tools and resources, the clarity and conviction to defend our shared values and lead the world. sweden and finland already among our closest partners on a range of issues from strengthening peace and stability to advancing human rights, to taking on the climate crisis and addressing food insecurity, from strengthening the global health to promoting development. finnish and swedish troops have

already served shoulder to shoulder with u.s. and nato forces in cosavo, afghanistan and iraq. and both finland and finland are already working in coordination with the united states and our other allies and partners to support the brave people of ukraine as they defend their freedom against russia's invasion. sweden and finland have strong democratic institutions, strong militaries and strong and transparent economies. and a strong moral sense of what is right. they meet every nato requirement and then some. and having two new nato members in the high north will enhance the security of our alliance and deepen our security cooperation across the board. today the president and the prime minister and i had a very

good discussion about nato accession, about the war in ukraine, and strengthening trans-atlantic security. but our conversations began well before today. president niinisto and i spoke last december today. in march the president came to the white house to see me to discuss this brutal conflict and the rupture its causing in europe. while we were in the oval office together, we picked up the phone and we called the prime minister. the three of us all spoke. we spoke again last week when i invited them to come to the white house today. we have consulted closely at every stage as sweden and finland made their determinations. today i am proud to assure them they have the full, total,

complete backing of the united states of america. today my administration is submitting to the united states congress reports on nato accession for both countries so the senate can efficiently and quickly move on advising to the treaty. i greatly appreciate senator schumer and mcconnell's support as well as senator menendez to move this through the senate as quickly as possible. once respective of all allies are addressed and nato adopts the accession protocols. the bottom line is simple, quite straightforward, finland and sweden make nato stronger. not just because of their capacity but their strong, strong democracies. a strong united nato is the foundation of america's security. by joining nato, allies make a

sacred commitment to one another that an attack on one is an attack against all. so article v of the washington treaty and the core building block of our lives, and the only time in history article v has been invoked was after 9/11, when the united states was attacked and all our allies rallied to our side. the united states will never forget that. we will never fail in our pledge to defend every single inch of nato territory. i welcome sweden and finland choosing that responsibility, as well. this is going to benefit all of our people. today the president and prime minister and i committed we'll work together to remain vigilant

against the threats to our shared security and deter and confront any aggression while finland and sweden are in the succession process. as my mother would say, nothing will be missing between the cup and the lip. we're in once it's moving forward. i really mean it. i really mean it. so let me be clear, new members joining nato is not a threat to any nation. it never has been. nato's purpose is defend against aggression. that's its purpose. to defend. let me make -- let no one make a mistake the meaning of this historic day. in the face of aggression, nato has not grown weaker or more divided. it has grown stronger! more united! with finland and sweden's decision to request membership

with nato will be enhanced for all of time. standing together today to reject the bloody creed that makes right. we declare more powerful creed. all for one-and-one for all. what nato makes strong isn't just our enormous military capacity but our commitment to each other. to its values. nato's alliance of choice, not coerce. this is a victory for democracy in action. finland and sweden are seeking to join nato because their citizens demanded it. their elected leaders heard them. that's how it works when leaders derive their power for the consent of the government. -- from the consent of the government. that's why nato's open door has always been so important that allows nations to choose for themselves to ask to be a part of a group nations that value

freedom, democracy, and human dignity above all else. countries must demonstrate they meet nato's high standards for military operability, economic transparency, and democratic accountability. that's what sweden and finland have done! so today it's an affirmation those countries in europe that share our values. we're willing and able to do what it takes to be a part of the alliance. nato's door remains open. in just a few minutes, i'll be leaving to spend time with two of our endo-pacific allies. i'll be flying to the republic of korea and japan. i thank the president and the prime minister for traveling here on this -- for this meeting before i take off because it's so important. america's alliance in europe and in asia keep us, and i would

argue the world, strong and secure. they're how we confront the challenge of our time and deliver for our people today and harness opportunities for better tomorrow. i look forward to soon calling sweden and finland our friends, partners, and nato allies. i'm going invite each of you to stay a few words. we'll start, mr. president, the podium is yours. >> mr. president, it is with great pleasure and honor to be standing here today with you together with sweden's prime

minister. we are here for a very good reason. together we're taking historic step by seeking to join the organization. this is a very thorough process. the process has once again revealed the strength of democracy. starting from the strong public support, the decision was made with an overwhelming maturity and it also it was hugely strong and popular. i want to thank you, mr. president, for your steadfast support throughout this process. in early march, i visited the white house and you encouraged

us to go forward. it was a vital -- to our progress. your testimony of enduring commitment, the united states has made to european and to transatlantic security. i want to assure that finland will become a strong nato ally. we take our security very seriously. the finnish armed forces are one of the strongest in europe. we have consistently invested in developing our capabilities. the willingness to defend their country is one of the highest in the whole world. we are ready to contribute due to the security of the whole

alliance. making the commitment -- than being a nato ally. now that we have taken this first decisive step, it is time for nato allies to waive in. we hope for strong support from more allies and for a swift ratification of our membership, once it's agreed. i believe that the united states -- a crucially important example to others. turkey's leadership has recently expressed concerns about our membership application. i want to address these concerns today. finland has always had good bilateral relations to turkey. as nato allies, we will commit to turkey's security just as

turkey will commit to our security. we take it seriously. we condemn terrorism in all its forms, and we're actively engaged in combatting it. we're open to discussing all. turkey may have concerning our membership in open and constructive manner. these discussions have already taken place and they will continue in the next days. 24th february, i said that the masks have fallen and we see only the cold faces of war. russia's war in ukraine has changed europe and our