Obama toasts Nordic nations after Russia-focused summit
- 8 years ago
President Barack Obama toasted Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland at a star-studded state dinner on Friday, lauding the nations for their global influence on civil rights, humanitarian issues and curbing climate change.
The red carpet glamor followed a White House summit where Obama and the leaders of the five nations presented a united front against Moscow's recent military aggression in Ukraine and the Baltic region.
But the meeting was more about soft diplomacy than launching ambitious foreign policy endeavors, given that Obama's second and final term ends in January.
Americans will vote in presidential elections on Nov. 8.
"I thought this was a very useful and important conversation, although there was probably too much agreement to make for as exciting a multilateral meeting as I sometimes participate in," Obama said.
The red carpet glamor followed a White House summit where Obama and the leaders of the five nations presented a united front against Moscow's recent military aggression in Ukraine and the Baltic region.
But the meeting was more about soft diplomacy than launching ambitious foreign policy endeavors, given that Obama's second and final term ends in January.
Americans will vote in presidential elections on Nov. 8.
"I thought this was a very useful and important conversation, although there was probably too much agreement to make for as exciting a multilateral meeting as I sometimes participate in," Obama said.