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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
by Pierre-Henry DESHAYES Agence France-Presse SETERMOEN, Norway (AFP) – In a muddy car park in Norway’s Far North, Finnish troops show off their military might, lining up rocket launchers, artillery and snowmobiles as they prepare to train alongside their NATO brothers-in-arms. While Finland and Sweden’s partnership with the Atlantic Alliance is nothing new, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the two militarily non-aligned nations to deepen their cooperation with NATO even further. Norway’s Cold Response […]
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) – Sweden’s government on Tuesday gave its go-ahead for a controversial mining project in the country’s far north, sparking ire from activists who argue it would harm the environment and the indigenous Sami people. Jokkmokk Iron Mines, a British-owned company that filed an application for the Kallak mine in 2013, is eyeing Sweden’s largest-known cache of untapped quartz-banded iron ore as well as rare earth minerals. The company still has to win […]
MALMO, Sweden (AFP) — Two people were injured and rushed to hospital on Monday after a “suspected serious crime” at a secondary school in the southern Swedish town of Malmo, police said. It was not immediately known what happened but police said there had been no reports of gunfire. “One person has been arrested. Police have the situation under control,” police said in a statement issued around 6:30 pm (1730 GMT). The incident took place […]
Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland Sunday said they would close their airspace to Russian planes, joining other European countries in ramping up sanctions over Moscow invading Ukraine. Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia, “is preparing to close its airspace to Russian air traffic,” Transport Minister Timo Harakka wrote in an overnight tweet. He did not state when the measure would take effect. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said on Twitter his country […]
by Marc PRÉEL Agence France-Presse STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) – The torrent of man-made chemical and plastic waste worldwide has massively exceeded limits safe for humanity or the planet, and production caps are urgently needed, scientists have concluded for the first time. There are an estimated 350,000 different manufactured chemicals on the market and large volumes of them end up in the environment. “The impacts that we’re starting to see today are large enough to be […]
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — Sweden’s public health agency on Monday recommended a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for people over the age of 80, those in nursing homes and those receiving at-home care. The agency said the jab should be taken four months after the previous dose, at the earliest. “The spread of Covid-19 is still intense in Sweden. An increasing number of cases have been reported in recent weeks, including among people at […]
