Tag Archives: finland

Negotiating an acceptable peace with Russia regarding Ukraine is unlikely, so the Western nations must keep providing Kiev with weaponry, Finnish President Alexander Stubb argued during an interview with CNN on Sunday. Helsinki used to serve as a mediator between the US and the USSR during the Cold War, despite …

The Russian Embassy in Finland has demanded an explanation after restrictions were placed on Russian state property in Helsinki.    “A demand has been lodged to the Finnish Foreign Ministry to explain how the actions of the bailiffs are compatible with the norms of international law about the immunity of …

Both Finland and Sweden have taken one step closer to becoming full-fledged members of NATO after the ambassadors from all 30 member states of the US-led bloc signed accession protocols for the two Nordic countries on Tuesday. The accession ceremony was held at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, where …

The mayor of Lappeenranta, a small Finnish city close to the border with Russia, would put his township in Russia’s sights by hosting a NATO military base, the speaker of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said on Monday. Volodin was commenting on a story published by Finnish media about a border …

Turkey will support inviting Finland and Sweden into NATO at the alliance’s upcoming summit in Spain, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto announced on Tuesday after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. The three countries signed a memorandum of understanding at the meeting, …

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said it’s uncertain whether the military alliance will be able to overcome Turkey’s opposition to membership for Finland and Sweden. The two Nordic nations applied to join the US-led bloc in May, voicing concerns over their security amid Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. NATO …

Finland will not join the US-led NATO bloc without Sweden should the latter run into an impasse on its ascension path, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has said. The official made the remarks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Helsinki on Sunday. “I say that …

The opposition from Turkey has turned the process of joining NATO into “purgatory” for Finland, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto complained on Wednesday.  With bids by Finland and neighboring Sweden stalled for two weeks now, Haavisto expressed hope that an announcement on the enlargement of the US-led military bloc could …

Finland will deploy the first batch of new US-made F-35 fighter jets to the country’s northernmost region, Lapland, when Helsinki receives the aircraft in four years’ time, the country’s air force has revealed. On Friday, Brigadier General Juha-Pekka Keränen, the Nordic country’s air force commander, said that the “F-35 fleet …

Following talks in Ankara on Wednesday, Turkish government spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters that his government would not allow Finland and Sweden into the NATO alliance until Turkey’s “concrete” security concerns regarding terrorism and sanctions are met. Kalin added that Ankara will not rush to an agreement before NATO’s next …