Pool Reports of July 5, 2023

WH in-town pool report #1 Lunch lid

Good morning,

I'm your in-town print pool reporter today. It's a steamy 83 degrees at the White House.

The White House has called a lunch lid until 1:30 p.m.

Let me know if you have any questions. There are changes to the schedule. Here it is:

EDT

10:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time

10:00 AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

2:00 PM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden
Oval Office
In-House Pool Spray (Gather 1:50 PM – Brady Press Briefing Room)

Briefing Schedule

EDT

2:15 PM Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

WH in-town pool report #2 gathering for bilat

The pool is gathered outside the lower press area at 2:05 pm for President Biden's bilateral meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

WH in-town pool report #3 bilat begins

President Biden's bilat with Swedish PM Kristersson started at 2:09 pm.

Biden called Sweden a "valued friend and partner" and said he is "anxiously looking forward to your membership" in NATO.

Kristersson thanked Biden for the invitation and said Sweden "highly appreciates" Biden's support for NATO membership.

Reporters were ushered out after about 3 mins. Biden smiled but did not respond to several questions including one from your pooler about whether Zelenskyy should attend the NATO summit.

I will send a new report with more detailed remarks.

WH in-town pool report #4 More on Biden questions

A few add-ons from my earlier report.

President Biden appeared to say "very important" when asked about the significance of Sweden joining NATO.

A reporter shouted a question about the cocaine found Sunday in the White House. Biden did not respond to that question.

President Biden also did not respond to repeated shouted questions about reports of a possible prisoner swap with Russia in exchange for jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

WH in-town pool report #5 2-minute warning

The White House called a 2-minute warning for the press briefing at 2:36 p.m.

WH in-town pool report #6 press briefing begins

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began the press briefing at 2:38 p.m.

WH in-town pool report #7 more bilat comments

Below are fuller remarks from Biden and Kristersson during the beginning of their bilateral meeting:

When the pool entered the Oval Office, President Biden and Swedish PM Kristersson were already seated in separate chairs next to each other.

Biden spoke first, calling Sweden a "valued, valued friend."

"Sweden is a capable and committed partner," Biden said, adding, "I want to reiterate the United States fully, fully, fully supports Sweden's membership in NATO. The bottom line is simple: Sweden is going to make our alliance stronger."

Biden said Sweden shares the "same value set" as NATO nations.

Biden said Sweden through its bilateral agreement with the US is "taking on challenges that matter most to our people," pointing to the climate crisis as one example.

"And we're stepping up to protect our shared democratic values including providing security and military assistance" in Ukraine, Biden said.

Biden said U.S. and Sweden and the two countries' companies are "working in lockstep with emerging technologies," thanking Kristersson for Sweden's help with the 5G network.

Kristersson told Biden: "Thank you so much. I really do appreciate being here. Thanks for the kind invitation to come here. It is highly valued for us."

Kristersson said the US and Sweden "share so many values and priorities," pointing to support for Ukraine.

"I thank you for your leadership - the Transatlantic unity - that you have made so much to establish," Kristersson said.

Kristersson also commended Biden's efforts to combat the climate crisis and the "challenges that China creates for democracies." He added, "We highly appreciate your strong support" for Sweden's entry into NATO. "We do seek common protection but we also do think we have things to contribute."

Reporters were rushed out by WH officials after about 3 minutes. I provided questions that were shouted to the president in an earlier pool report.

Please check against the WH transcript, particularly the part about the 5G network. That was hard to make out.

WH in-town pool report #8

The WH sent over the following earlier:

The President is participating in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden:

U.S. Manifest
The President
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Erik Ramanathan, Ambassador of the United States to Sweden
T.H. Anne Neuberger, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies
T.H. Amanda Sloat, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe, National Security Council
T.H. Derek Hogan, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Mr. Andrew Johnson, Director for European Union Affairs, National Security Council

Sweden Manifest
H.E. Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden
T.H. Tobias Billström, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden
H.E. Karin Olofsdotter, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States
Mr. Henrik Landerholm, National Security Advisor
Mr. Jamal Alassaad, Senior Political Advisor to the Prime Minister
Ms. Ingrid Ask, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Sweden
Ms. Siri Steijer, Head of Press, Office of the Prime Minister

WH in-town pool report #9 briefing ends

The White House press briefing ended at 3:21 p.m. after about 43 minutes. Thunder could be heard during the back half of the briefing from an impending storm outside in Washington.

WH in-town pool report #10 lid

The White House called a lid at 4:08 p.m. ET.

Foreign Pool Report #1 / Background ahead of POTUS' meeting with Sweden's PM

God dag,

I will be your foreign pooler for the bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Sweden's Prime Minister ("Statsminister") Ulf Kristersson. The meeting is scheduled for 2pm.

Meetings:

Today's bilateral meeting is the first between both leaders in the White House since POTUS took office. It is framed to be a "show of solidarity" as the United States presses for the Nordic nation's entry into the NATO alliance. Both leaders will participate in the NATO summit in Vilnius/Lithuania on July 11-12.

(But) on February 18, Vice President Kamala Harris met with Kristersson and then Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland at the Munich Security Conference in Germany and reiterated the U.S. commitment to welcoming Sweden and Finland into the alliance and discussed next steps in the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

When Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Kristersson in Luleå Military Airbase on May 30, he stressed the "time is now" for Turkey to drop its objections to Sweden joining NATO but said the Biden administration also believed that Turkey should be provided with upgraded F-16 fighters "as soon as possible."

Priorities for the bilat:

Kristersson noted on the weekend, that "the focus of the visit will be on Sweden's NATO accession." According to the White House, both leaders will reaffirm their view "that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible." President Joe Biden has described the accession of the two countries as a game-changer that will make NATO "stronger than ever."

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland had decided to give up their military neutrality and applied to become a member of NATO. But while neighbor Finland became the 31st member state on April 4, Sweden's accession is still blocked by Turkey and Hungary.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan still hasn't signaled a change of mind, his government accuses Stockholm of being soft on groups it says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish organizations. A public burning of the Koran a couple of days ago in Stockholm has complicated the relationship further.

Hungary on the other hand still has to ratify the Swedish bid. Hungarian lawmakers said a long-delayed parliamentary vote on that would not would not happen until the autumn legislative session. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused Swedish politicians of telling "blatant lies" about the condition of the Hungarian democracy.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has announced that top diplomats from Turkey and Sweden will meet at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on Thursday for talks to overcome Turkish objections. Sweden's NATO entry would be a highly symbolic moment: The country has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years.

Russia's war in Ukraine will be on top of the agenda. Kristersson has strongly condemned the aggression. On February 15, he met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev and noted that Ukraine is a priority for Sweden's foreign policy and its Presidency of the Council of the European Union. (The Swedish presidency of the Council of the EU in 2023 ended on June 30.)

In June, the Swedish government formally announced plans to provide training to pilots and ground personnel from Ukraine om JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets. The government also pledged to contribute millions of dollars to help finance the purchase of additional weapon systems and other materials.

The Swedish government has presented 12 military aid packages for Ukraine since the beginning of the war. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Sweden ranks number 10 when it comes to total commitments for Ukraine. Like other European countries, Sweden is currently investing heavily in its military. Sweden's aims to reach NATO's minimum budgetary requirement for defense spending of 2 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2026.

Other possible topics: the green transition, transatlantic cooperation on China, as well as new and emerging technologies.

Schedule/Delegation:

Kristersson arrived in Washington yesterday afternoon. At his bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, he will be accompanied by Tobias Billström, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden's first National Security Advisor Henrik Landerholm, Jamal Alassaad, Head of the Prime Minister's Foreign Policy Office, Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter, Ingrid Ask, Deputy Chief of Mission, as well as Kristersson's Chief of Press Siri Steijer.

The Swedish Prime Minister is expected to come to the stakeout after his meeting with President Biden. There he plans to give remarks in English and Swedish. Except for a breakfast meeting with experts from Thinktanks and lunch at the Embassy, there was nothing else on the schedule according to his delegation. In the evening, Kristersson will fly back to Sweden.

Bio:

Kristersson, 59, became the 35th Swedish Prime Minister in October 2022. The conservative politician was elected by a thin majority of three votes after announcing that he had formed a governing coalition comprising his Moderaterna (the Moderate Party), the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. In parliament (the "Riksdag"), the center-right coalition has no own majority and is backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats.

Kristersson has been leading his Moderate Party since October 2017. He was a member of the Riksdag from 1991 to 2000 and again since 2014. He previously served as Minister for Social Security from 2010 to 2014. In December 2014, he was appointed Shadow Finance Minister of the Moderate Party and economic policy spokesperson.

Foreign Pool Report #2 / Swedish PM Kristersson arrived

According to fellow pooler Kethevane Gorjestani, the Swedish Prime Minister arrived at 2pm. He walked straight into the Oval Office.

Foreign Pool Report #3 / Quotes Swedish PM Kristersson

When the pool entered the Oval Office, POTUS and Kristersson were already seated next to each other.

Kristersson thanked POTUS for "the kind invitation" to the White House which would be "highly welcomed". He said: "Sweden and the US share so many values and priorities since ling but not least right now. That goes for handling the war in Ukraine." He thanked POTUS für "leadership and the transatlantic unity" that he established.

Kristersson mentioned as examples the climate crisis and "the challenges that China creates for democracies."

He also thanked for "the strong support for Sweden's NATO accession. "We also do think that we have things to contribute."

Neither leader took questions from the pool that were shouted.

Please check the quotes against the transcript.

Foreign Pool Report #4 / Swedish Prime Minister left

Other than planned, PM Kristersson already left the White House grounds without coming to the stake-out. There is a thunderstorm coming up. Apparently that's the reason.