On a stop in Tokyo, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of communication between Washington's and Beijing's defense authorities.
President Joe Biden met privately with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before joining the Group of Seven gathering of major industrialized nations.
Biden announced the permanent basing of a U.S. military garrison in Poland. He also said the U.S. is sending two additional F-35 fighter jet squadrons to the U.K. and more air defense and other capabilities to Germany and Italy.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists.