Obama Nordic Summit and Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama is set to toast the five leaders of Nordic nations at a lavish state dinner at the White House on Friday, an unusual summit aimed in part at sending a message to a nation not on the guest list: Russia.

 

Obama will laud the humanitarian and environmental accomplishments of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland, but also wants to talk about how to deal with their increasingly aggressive neighbor Russia ahead of a NATO summit in July.

 

“We share the concern of countries in the region, particularly those who have a border with Russia, about the increasing presence of Russian military assets in the area,” said Charles Kupchan, Obama’s senior director for European affairs.

 

Read More: Obama Nordic Summit and Russia – Business Insider