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by Charlotte PLANTIVE, with Dmitry ZAKS in Sydorove and Sebastian SMITH in Washington © Agence France-Presse Kyiv, UKRAINE (AFP) — The United States said Wednesday it is confident Finland and Sweden will become part of NATO, despite vocal Turkish protests — an expansion that would dramatically realign European security in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reflecting the brutality of the conflict which has reinvigorated the transatlantic alliance, Ukraine held its first war […]
by Marc Preel with Elias Huuhtanen in Helsinki © Agence France-Presse Stockholm, SWEDEN (AFP) — Finland and Sweden announced they will submit their bids to join NATO together Wednesday, despite Turkey’s threat to block the military alliance’s expansion. “I’m happy we have taken the same path and we can do it together,” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Tuesday during a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre […]
by Elias Huuhtanen © Agence France-Presse Santahamina, FINLAND (AFP) — On a windy military island off Helsinki, people from all walks of life are spending their weekend doing military training, as volunteer numbers soar and Finland readies to join NATO to protect itself from Russia. Finland’s defence forces only have around 13,000 employed personnel but the country of 5.5 million boasts an impressive 900,000 reservists with a wartime strength of 280,000 troops. Finland shares […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin said Monday that while Russia does not see Finland and Sweden’s decision to join NATO as a threat, deployment of military infrastructure there may trigger a response from Moscow. The expansion of NATO to Sweden and Finland poses “no direct threat for us… but the expansion of military infrastructure to these territories will certainly provoke our response,” Putin said during a televised summit meeting of the Collective […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia warned Monday that decisions by Finland and Sweden to join the NATO military alliance were serious mistakes and Moscow would take measures. “This is another grave mistake with far-reaching consequences,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters. “The general level of military tensions will increase,” he was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. “It is a pity that common sense is being sacrificed for some phantom ideas about […]
Putin says Finland joining NATO would be a “mistake” as there is no threat to Finland’s security HELSINKI, Finland (NATO) — Finnish President Sauli Niinisto spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday about the Nordic country’s application for NATO membership, expected to be announced this weekend, his office said. The phone call, which was “initiated by Finland… was direct and straightforward and it was conducted without aggravations. Avoiding tensions was considered important,” Niinisto […]
After decades of staying out of military alliances, Finland and Sweden are about to decide whether to apply to join NATO, as a deterrent against aggression from Eastern neighbour Russia. The Nordic neighbours are expected to act in unison, with both expressing a desire for their applications to be submitted simultaneously if they decide to go that route. – Historic U-turns – For decades, a majority of Swedes and Finns were in favour […]
Russia warned Thursday it would have to take “military-technical” steps in response to neighbouring Finland joining NATO, after leaders in Helsinki backed entering the US-led alliance. “The expansion of NATO and the approach of the alliance to our borders does not make the world and our continent more stable and secure,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. When asked whether Finland’s membership would be a threat, Peskov answered: “definitely”. “Everything will depend on how this […]
by Elias HUUHTANEN Finland’s president and prime minister said on Thursday they were in favour of joining NATO and a formal decision would be taken this weekend, after Russia’s war in Ukraine sparked a swift u-turn in opinion. “Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement. Niinisto has often served as a mediator between Russia and the West. “NATO membership would strengthen […]
(Eagle News) — The country’s first Omicron subvariant BA.2.12 case had 44 close contacts, the Department of Health said on Thursday, April 28. According to the DOH, of the 44, nine were the 52-year-old Finnish woman’s close contacts in Quezon City, five in Benguet, and 30 were fellow passengers on the plane she rode on the way to the Philippines. The DOH has said upon arrival in the country on April 2, she did not […]
by Sam KINGSLEY Agence France Presse HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Finland’s parliament on Wednesday opened a debate on whether to seek NATO membership, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a surge in political and public support for joining the military alliance. Despite Russia warning of a nuclear build-up in the Baltic should Finland and neighbouring Sweden join the military alliance, Finland’s prime minister said that her country now needed to decide quickly on whether […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned Thursday that Russia would deploy nuclear weapons close to the Baltic States and Scandinavia if Finland or Sweden decide to join NATO. Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and president from 2008 to 2012, wrote on Telegram that if the countries joined, this would more than double Russia’s land border with NATO members. “Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders,” he said. […]
