Finland

The Scandinavian country bordering Russia is beginning the process with an official assessment of how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has changed its security ...

“But I am confident that if they apply, we will sit down, and we’ll find a way to address that issue.” The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. “It would be a huge blow to NATO if their open-door policy is undermined.” Russia has warned of “serious military-political consequences” and “retaliation” should the two countries join. The last independent newsletter in Russia suspended its operations. Even without NATO protection, Finland and Sweden should theoretically have some measure of collective security. Sweden and Finland already have deep ties to the alliance. They bring very capable militaries,” she said. Vanhanen expects that NATO will find ways to “signal that Sweden and Finland are protected” in the interim, such as making a political commitment to ensuring safe accession or stepping up military cooperation in some way. In a briefing last week, Julianne Smith, the American ambassador to NATO, said the United States would “welcome” both countries if they want to join the alliance. The question of expanding the alliance was discussed last week at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. Both NATO and U.S. officials stressed that it is up to the countries to decide whether they want to join — while signaling that they will be welcomed if they apply. “We will have very careful discussions, but we will also not take any more time than we have to in this process because the situation is of course very severe,” Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters last week, suggesting a decision could come by late June.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 triggered a surge in support for joining NATO in the two traditionally militarily non-aligned Nordic countries.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin readies a new offensive in his stalled war with Ukraine, strategists still talk of some form of Ukraine's ...

Finland has been neutral since 1945, seeking cordial relations with its vast Russian neighbor. But Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine has emboldened champions ...

“There is a before and after the 24th of February,” Andersson said Wednesday, referring to the date Russia invaded Ukraine. “The security landscape has ...

NATO also asks its members to militarily be "adding to the security of the alliance and not detracting from it,” Rafael Loss, a coordinator at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Euronews, and NATO would not likely want to be ensnarled in Ukraine’s unsettled territorial disputes with Russia over Crimea and the Donbas region. President George W. Bush’s insistence that NATO extend an open-ended invitation for Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO provoked a strong reaction from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who bridled at the prospect of the military alliance creeping closer to Russia. While NATO member countries are not intervening militarily in Ukraine, given that Ukraine is not itself a NATO member, the alliance and its members have provided extensive aid to Ukraine throughout the conflict. NATO has been a major factor in Russia’s escalating belligerence toward Ukraine over the past 14 years and in aiding Ukraine against Russia in the current war. Even before they join NATO, Finland and Sweden will still have military alliances by virtue of being members of the European Union, as all EU members have an obligation under the bloc’s treaty to help other members if they’re attacked militarily. Even before the Nordic countries officially join NATO, Stoltenberg said he’s “certain that the alliance will find ways to address concerns about the period between potential application and ratification,” the Washington Post reports, meaning NATO could provide some protections if Russia tries to retaliate against Finland or Sweden before they formally become members. “We have repeatedly said that the alliance itself is more of a tool for confrontation,” Peskov said in April about the Kremlin’s stance on Finland and Sweden’s potential NATO membership.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushes Helsinki and Stockholm toward Western military alliance. LATVIA-NATO-DEFENCE-DIPLOMACY. NATO Foreign ...

It also noted that “if Finland were a NATO member country and became a target of military force, it would defend itself with the support of the Alliance based on collective defence arrangements prepared and rehearsed in advance.” We know that they can easily join this alliance if they decide to apply.” But at their press conference in Stockholm on Wednesday, the two leaders declined to address the substance of that speculation head-on. Reports in Swedish media this week suggested that both the Marin and Andersson governments favor NATO membership. Opinion polls show surging public support in both countries for abandoning their long-held neutrality and joining the military alliance. “The change in the security situation,” according to the Finnish authorities, “is expected to be long-lasting” while “Russia’s demands and military actions that purport to change the European security architecture also affect Finland’s room for manoeuvre in foreign, security and defence policy.”

By invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin wanted to bring his neighbor to heel and make the West think twice about expanding alliances towards Russia's borders.

This would take a very long time and could also face stiff opposition from Hungary, which is already in a nasty battle with Brussels over its violations of the rule of law, causing the EU to propose suspending central funding to Budapest. "We have repeatedly said that the alliance itself is more of a tool for confrontation. The only serious objection could come from Hungary, whose leader is close with Putin, but NATO officials think it would be able to twist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's arm. Finland's foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said Monday that it was "important" that neighboring Sweden was following a "similar process" which he expects to take time. But for now, as that unity largely holds, it is clear that Putin's desire to belittle the Western alliance has backfired -- and that the strongman has secured pariah status for his nation, possibly for years to come. Nor has Putin's invasion motivated Ukraine to pull back from its desire for closer integration with the West. While the country is unlikely to join NATO, its efforts to join the European Union have accelerated since the start of the war.

We're covering NATO's potential expansion and the presidential campaign of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Philippines.

Others are fun and surprising: “Come, sirrah Jack, ho,” a jaunty ode to drinking and smoking, is like a night in a tavern, with singers vouching that the tobacco — which is “very, very good” — is “perfect Trinidado.” In the U.S., it allowed employees who worked for opioid makers and other pharmaceutical companies to also consult for the F.D.A., raising stark questions about conflicts of interest. “We wanted to shine a light on music you’re most likely not going to hear at your local symphony,” Zachary Woolfe, The Times’s classical music critic, told us. The latest edition explores a lesser-known area: Renaissance music. Marcos, known by his boyhood nickname “Bongbong,” is poised to rewrite the history books in more ways than one. We havelive updates on the situation. The songs on the list evoke the experience of life centuries ago. Countries have now logged 500 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, including more than 200 million in this year alone. The latest episode of “ The Daily” is about the next phase of the war in Ukraine. Instead of crushing Ukrainian nationalism, he has enhanced it. Meanwhile, the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia visited Ukraine on Wednesday in a sign of support, as investigators accelerated their efforts to collect evidence of reported Russian atrocities outside Kyiv. An initial report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe found “clear patterns” of violations of international law by the Russian military. Finland and Sweden are considering whether to apply for NATO membership in the coming weeks and are widely expected to join, underscoring how the invasion of Ukraine has backfired for President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

European Union nations Finland and Sweden reached important stages Wednesday on their way to possible NATO membership as the Finnish government issued a ...

On Wednesday, the Finnish government issued a much-awaited report on changes in Finland’s security environment that lawmakers will start debating after the Easter break. She said the report is due May 31 but could be finished earlier. Marin and Andersson lead the ruling Social Democratic Parties in their respective countries. Trust in Russia has plummeted.” Parliaments in both countries are ready to finally decide the matter — something that could happen in Finland in late May and a bit later in Sweden. Sweden has no border with Russia.

PM Sanna Marin and Swedish counterpart discuss security concerns as polls pivot towards membership.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, left, and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin pose for photographers ahead of a meeting on whether to seek NATO ...

She said the report is due May 31 but could be finished earlier. “Russia’s attack on Ukraine will have a long-lasting impact on our own security environment. On Wednesday, the Finnish government issued a much-awaited report on changes in Finland’s security environment that lawmakers will start debating after the Easter break. Sweden has no border with Russia. Andersson said Sweden and Finland would maintain “a very close dialogue and have a very straightforward and honest discussions” in the coming weeks over their countries respective choices on NATO. HELSINKI — European Union nations Finland and Sweden reached important stages Wednesday on their way to possible NATO membership as the Finnish government issued a security report to lawmakers and Sweden’s ruling party initiated a review of security policy options.

Finland started a process expected to lead Russia's Nordic neighbor into NATO in response to the attack on Ukraine, while Swedish media reported its ruling ...

Copenhagen, Apr 13 (EFE).- Finland will make a final decision on whether to apply for Nato membership within weeks, prime minister Sanna Marin said on ...

“We must analyze the situation to see what is best for the security of Sweden and the Swedish people, and we must not rush. It must be done very seriously and thoroughly,” she said. Both countries are close Nato partners but not members.

The leaders of Finland and Sweden announced Wednesday that they are looking closely at joining NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

NATO countries receive security guarantees because of Article 5. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that NATO would welcome Sweden and Finland if they decided to apply. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin reportedly said the country would decide “within weeks” whether to join the military alliance.

AILSA CHANG, HOST: Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to transform the political landscape of Europe. It has largely unified the European Union. And in ...

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

HELSINKI (AP) — European Union nations Finland and Sweden reached important stages Wednesday on their way to possible NATO membership as the Finnish ...

On Wednesday, the Finnish government issued a much-awaited report on changes in Finland’s security environment that lawmakers will start debating after the Easter break. She said the report is due May 31 but could be finished earlier. Marin and Andersson lead the ruling Social Democratic Parties in their respective countries. Trust in Russia has plummeted.” Parliaments in both countries are ready to finally decide the matter — something that could happen in Finland in late May and a bit later in Sweden. Sweden has no border with Russia.

The assault on Ukraine sparked a dramatic U-turn in public and political opinion in Finland and neighbouring Sweden regarding their long-held policies of ...

'For the Social Democrats in Sweden to change opinion [on NATO] is like changing religion,' former Finnish PM Alexander Stubb said. After a ceasefire was agreed in the Moscow Armistice in 1944, Finland was ordered to expel Nazi troops stationed in the country, prompting the Lapland War with Germany. Russia has threatened a similar response to Finland as the horrors seen in Ukraine if it seeks to join NATO Sweden is officially non-aligned militarily, although it is a NATO partner and abandoned its position of strict neutrality after the end of the Cold War. Having been invaded by Russia in 1939 and sharing a long border with the superpower, Finland wanted to stay out of future conflicts, giving it the freedom to maintain a strong relationship with Moscow and the West while enjoying a free market economy. When NATO was formed in 1949 for a Western military alliance, Sweden decided not to join and continue its neutrality, introducing a security policy that secured its non-alignment in peace and neutrality in war. In 1994, Stockholm decided to join the NATO programme Partnership for Peace (PfP), aimed to build trust between member states and other European countries, but until now it has not signalled a desire to fully join the alliance. Sweden maintained its policy of neutrality - which had begun in the early 19th century - throughout the war wanting to avoid being drawn into a conflict that was engulfing the nearby powers of Germany and the Soviet Union. Sweden's prime minister Magdalena Andersson is understood to be eager for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance by June, to the fury of Vladimir Putin who invaded Ukraine in part for its desire to join to the pact. The assault on Ukraine sparked a dramatic U-turn in public and political opinion in Finland and neighbouring Sweden regarding their long-held policies of military non-alignment. But Putin's invasion of Ukraine has decisively changed public opinion in the Scandinavian countries after Russia began the war with a barrage of rhetoric about stopping NATO expansion. Now Sweden will apply for NATO membership as Scandinavian neighbour Finland opens debate on joining - to the fury of Putin after he invaded Ukraine to STOP the alliance expanding

STOCKHOLM, April 13 (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed Finland and Sweden to the verge of applying for NATO membership and abandoning a ...

- It has relied on its own military deterrence and friendly relations with Moscow to keep the peace. Putin's offensive against Ukraine has made a guarantee of aid much more appealing. - The ruling Social Democrats are holding an internal debate on whether to drop their objection to NATO and are expected to issue a report before summer. - Sweden's Social Democrats - the biggest party and in power for most of the last century - are seen as the biggest hurdle to applying, though they are reviewing their objections. - Polls show a slim majority of Swedes back joining NATO and there is a majority in parliament in support of an application. - Joining the alliance would bring Sweden and Finland under the umbrella of Article 5, which guarantees that an attack on one NATO ally is an attack on all.