As Moscow stopped gas supplies to Finland, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that only a political breakthrough, not an overwhelming military victory, could end Russia’s war on his nation. “There are things that can only be reached at the negotiating table,” Zelensky said, just as Russia claimed its long-range missiles had destroyed a shipment of … Read more
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Sweden could not expect Turkey to accept its NATO request unless “terrorists” return and that Swedish and Finnish officials should not visit Turkey to persuade it to support their NATO ambitions. Earlier this month, Finland and Sweden formally requested to join NATO, pushed on by Russia’s invasion of … Read more
After nearly three months of desperate fighting, Ukraine ordered its surviving troops locked up in Mariupol’s beleaguered Azovstal steelworks to lay down their rifles. Russia has been accused of war crimes, including a deadly strike on a maternity hospital, for levelling the important port city, and Ukraine has began a reckoning for seized Russian troops. … Read more
US claims Finland and Sweden are expected to join NATO in few months The US minister to NATO has said Sweden and Finland could “probably” join NATO in the “following two or three months”. Addressing this evening, Julianne Smith said the guard union had invited the uses of Sweden and Finland and accepted the nations … Read more
German Chancellor believes Sweden and Finland will quickly join NATO German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is “certain” that Sweden and Finland will join NATO. Talking at a news meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Mr Scholz said that Germany invited the Nordic nations’ NATO offers and communicated certainty that they would be … Read more
Finland aims to prevent overreactions by being flexible regarding joint exercises with NATO following its official application to join the alliance, as well as bringing in any new military equipment on its soil, according to Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Finland and Russia share a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) border and a tense history. Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine … Read more
Turkey has expressed strong opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, but many believe the matter can be resolved through compromises and pressure on Ankara. Helsinki and Stockholm on Wednesday submitted a joint application to join the alliance. New members must be approved by all 30 NATO states. Turkey, which joined NATO in 1952, can … Read more
A 21-year-old Russian soldier on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to the cold-blooded murder of a Ukrainian civilian, as Kyiv began a judicial reckoning for alleged atrocities after nearly three months of the war. Ukraine’s first war crimes trial since Russia’s invasion on February 24 came as President Vladimir Putin faced the prospect of NATO vastly expanding its … Read more
Sweden and Finland have formally applied to join the Nato military alliance, confirming a major redrawing of Europe’s security landscape caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the headquarters of the US-led defence alliance in Brussels, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Nordic neighbours’ membership applications, each in a white folder imprinted with their … Read more
BRUSSELS: After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended decades of military non-alignment, Finland and Sweden submitted their applications to join the US-led alliance NATO on Wednesday. “The applications you have made today are an historic step. Allies will now consider the next steps on your path to NATO, ” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg remarked after … Read more
Germany will ramp up its military collaboration with Sweden and Finland as the two countries seek NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday. “We will intensify our military cooperation, especially in the Baltic Sea region and through joint exercises,” Scholz said amid concern for the two candidates’ … Read more
Russia may soon cut gas supplies to Finland due to the Nordic country’s refusal to pay Gazprom in rubles, according to the Finnish state-owned Gasum on Tuesday. Gasum said it would take its dispute with Gazprom Export to arbitration, risking further enraged Russia as Helsinki prepares to submit its NATO membership bid on Wednesday. “Gasum … Read more
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, accusing them of failing to take a firm stance against terrorism. “We will not say ‘yes’ to those (countries) who apply sanctions to Turkey to join the security organization NATO,” Erdogan said. Since 2019, Sweden has suspended all arms sales to Turkey … Read more
As Ukraine braces for a new assault by Moscow’s soldiers in its eastern Donbas area, Russia warned Finland and Sweden that joining NATO would be a “grave mistake.” The two Nordic countries are poised to jettison decades of military non-alignment due to fears of aggression from Russia, with which Finland shares a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border. … Read more
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday that Sweden should join NATO together with Finland to “ensure the safety of Swedish people.” Andersson said the current circumstances “requires” Sweden to join the military alliance during a joint press conference with Swedish opposition leader Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm on Monday. According to her, the Swedish … Read more
Finland’s and Sweden’s lawmakers debated their NATO bids on Monday, as the two neighbors prepare to submit applications this week as a deterrence to Russian aggression. Finland officially announced its intention to join NATO on Sunday as Sweden’s ruling party said it backed membership, paving the way for a joint application. The move is a … Read more
Turkey makes demands from Finland and Sweden after they announce joining NATO NATO and the United States say they are sure Turkey won’t obstruct the enrollment of Finland and Sweden in the Western military partnership, regardless of Ankara communicating reservations. Turkey spread out requests on Sunday uninvolved of a gathering of NATO unfamiliar priests in … Read more
BERLIN – Finland’s foreign minister said Saturday that the EU country believes it can find a “solution” with Turkey to end Ankara’s objections to its NATO membership bid. Pekka Haavisto said he was “sure that in the end we will find a solution and Finland (and) Sweden will become members of NATO” ahead of discussions … Read more
After decades of avoiding military alliances, Finland officially announced on Sunday that it would apply for NATO membership, with neighbouring Sweden expected to follow suit soon. The two Nordic countries have expressed a desire to act in unison and submit their applications jointly, as a deterrent to Russian aggression. – Historic U-turns – For decades, … Read more
Finnish government formally declared its intention to join NATO On Sunday, , as Sweden’s ruling party held a pivotal meeting that could pave the way for a joint application. Less than three months after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the move is a stunning reversal of Finland’s long-standing policy of military non-alignment. Sweden, which … Read more
Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Party declared its support for NATO membership on Sunday, reversing decades of opposition and clearing the way for the country to submit an application. After Russia’s February 24th invasion of Ukraine, Sweden’s political and public support for joining the Western military alliance has skyrocketed. The issue has divided Prime Minister Magdalena … Read more
Turkey has made it transparent that it does not want to impede membership, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He voiced confidence in NATO’s ability to handle Turkey’s concerns at a video news conference, saying the ascension process for Sweden and Finland into NATO is “faster than we have seen before.” Turkish President Recep … Read more
After decades of military non-alignment, Finland approved its quest for NATO membership as a bulwark against Russia on Sunday, redrawing the balance of power in Europe. In Helsinki, President Sauli Niinisto called the move “historic”. “A new era is opening,” he said, before the decision is put before parliament for approval. Finland’s move, expected to … Read more
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday that his country will decide “to pursue NATO membership in the next days,” according to a statement from Niinistö’s office. In their first encounter in 2012, Niinistö informed Putin that “any sovereign nation enhances its security.” And that “this is what is occurring … Read more
According to an official for Finland’s grid operator, Russia interrupted power supplies to Finland overnight after its energy business RAO Nordic threatened to shut off supply due to payment arrears. “It’s at zero right now, and it started at midnight as scheduled,” Timo Kaukonen, Fingrid’s manager of operational planning, said. Timo Kaukonen stated that the … Read more
Russian energy supplier RAO Nordic says it will suspend deliveries of electricity to Finland from Saturday, citing problems with payments. The company said it had not been paid for previous deliveries. The Finnish grid operator said Russia provided only a small percentage of the country’s electricity and that it could be replaced by alternative sources. … Read more
Sweden moved closer to abandoning its decades-long policy of military non-alignment on Friday, with a security policy assessment concluding that joining NATO would lessen the chance of violence in northern Europe. The report, written by parliament’s parties, clears the way for Sweden to announce a NATO membership candidacy alongside Finland in the coming days. Public … Read more
Fifteen European countries urged Israel on Friday to abandon plans for tens of thousands more settlement houses in the West Bank, warning that they would “obstruct” long-term peace between Israelis and Palestinians. “The new housing units would constitute an additional obstacle to the two-state solution,” said the countries in a statement issued by their foreign … Read more
