Biden's European tour includes Britain, Lithuania and Finland

 US President Joe Biden is on a European diplomatic tour between the ninth and thirteenth of July, during which he will visit the United Kingdom, and attend the NATO summit in Lithuania, before heading to Finland, according to what the White House announced Sunday.

Biden will meet King Charles III and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, with the aim of "strengthening close ties" between the United Kingdom and the United States, according to US presidential spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre.

He will then travel to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, to participate in the NATO summit on July 11-12, according to a statement.

On the last leg of his tour, in Helsinki, Biden will attend a summit of US and Nordic leaders on July 13.

Biden is expected to discuss Sweden's accession to NATO, especially after Finland officially joined the alliance in April. And it had requested its accession in February 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as did Sweden.

Sweden has been "invited" to join the alliance since June 2022, but its candidacy, which must be ratified by the 31 member states, is opposed by Turkey and Hungary.

Before his tour, Biden will receive Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Christerson Wednesday at the White House to discuss his country's accession process.