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MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday told Sweden and Finland that he could still block their drives to join NATO if they fail to implement a new accession deal with Ankara. Erdogan issued his blunt warning at the end of a NATO summit at which the US-led alliance formally invited the Nordic countries to join the 30-nation bloc. The two nations dropped their history of military non-alignment and announced plans […]
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AFP) — Russia has “no problem” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. “We don’t have problems with Sweden and Finland like we do with Ukraine,” Putin told a news conference in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat. “We don’t have territorial differences,” the Russian leader continued. “There is nothing that could bother us about Sweden and Finland joining NATO. If Finland and Sweden wish to, they can […]
by Max Delany with Benoit Finck in Kremenchuk Agence France-Presse MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Western allies vowed on Tuesday to boost NATO’s defenses and to back Ukraine to the end as Moscow demanded Kyiv’s surrender. As NATO leaders gathered in Madrid for a summit, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said Finland and Sweden would be formally invited to join NATO after Turkey lifted its block on their bids. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had stubbornly refused […]
ELMAU CASTLE, Germany (AFP) — US President Joe Biden on Sunday praised Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his leadership in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine and urged the West to stay united. “We have to stay together,” Biden told Scholz at a meeting ahead of the G7 summit in the German Alps. Russian President Vladimir Putin had been hoping “that somehow NATO and the G7 would splinter,” Biden said. “But we haven’t […]
by Hui Min Neo Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — World leaders including US President Joe Biden will seek to close ranks at back-to-back summits from Sunday on offering emphatic support to help Ukraine repel Russian invaders as the relentless war puts international unity to the test. In the face-to-face talks, the allies will take stock of the effectiveness of sanctions imposed so far against Vladimir Putin’s Russia, consider possible new military and financial aid […]
by Alma COHEN Finland and Sweden are to discuss their stalled NATO bids with Turkey in Brussels on Monday, but hopes are fading they will be able resolve their dispute before an alliance summit next week, experts say. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was to meet with representatives from the three countries to try to make progress on the Nordic nations’ membership applications, which have been blocked by Ankara. “I think it is possible but […]
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 […]
