Category: Finland

Welcome to the New NATO

Commentary Something happened that I thought I would never see in my lifetime. On July 5, Sweden and Finland signed accession protocols to begin the process of joining NATO. Full Swedish and Finnish membership in the Atlantic Alliance is likely before the end of the year. This expansion of NATO is, to me, nothing short…


Canada First Ally to Ratify NATO Membership Bids From Sweden, Finland

Canada has become the first country to ratify Sweden and Finland’s request to join NATO, bringing the two countries closer to full membership. The Prime Minister’s Office says Justin Trudeau met with Finland’s president, Sauli Niinistö, and Sweden’s prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, at the NATO Summit last week. In a statement, Trudeau says Canada champions…


Finland, Sweden Sign to Join NATO but Need Ratification

BRUSSELS—NATO’s 30 allies signed an accession protocol for Finland and Sweden on Tuesday, allowing them to join the nuclear-armed alliance once parliaments ratify the decision, the most significant expansion of the alliance since the 1990s. The signing at NATO headquarters follows a deal with Turkey at last week’s NATO summit in Madrid, where Ankara lifted…


NATO Invites Sweden and Finland to Join in Midst of Russia-Ukraine War

NATO’s leadership formally invited Sweden and Finland to become members of the military bloc on Wednesday after Turkey’s president signaled that he wouldn’t block their bids. “Today we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO, and agreed to sign Accession Protocols,” NATO said in a declaration following meetings in Madrid,…


Turkey Agrees to Allow Sweden and Finland to Join NATO: Officials

Turkey has agreed to support Finland’s and Sweden’s bids for NATO membership, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, in a move that is sure to ratchet up tensions between the bloc and Russia. “I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join…


The Baltic Noose the Kremlin Fears

Commentary Has the Kremlin decided to fight a hot war in the Baltic Sea’s cold waters? On June 17 the Russian Navy deliberately violated Danish territorial water, specifically the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, which lies north of Poland. During the Cold War Bornholm was a Berlin-like intelligence outpost behind enemy lines. On June 18…


NATO Chief Speaks With Erdogan About Finland, Sweden Joining

BRUSSELS—NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has met with Finland’s prime minister and spoken to Turkey’s president as he seeks to overcome Turkish resistance to Finland and Sweden joining the alliance. Stoltenberg, who visited Washington this week, said on Twitter late Friday that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed “the need…


Turkey Plays Hardball on Sweden, Finland NATO Accession Bid

While Sweden and Finland both officially applied for NATO membership this week, longstanding alliance member Turkey still appears dead-set against the move, saying the two Nordic countries provide a “haven” to terrorist groups that threaten Turkey’s security. “We have told our allies that Turkey will say ‘no’ to Sweden and Finland joining NATO and we…


Finland and Sweden Formally Apply to Join NATO

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday in Brussels, driven by the Russia–Ukraine conflict to step out of their neutrality maintained during and since the Cold War. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it was a “historic moment” and that he warmly welcomed the two nations into the world’s biggest military alliance, a…


Putin Open to Finland and Sweden’s NATO Membership

As Sweden and Finland move ahead with their plans to join NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that he has no issues with the decisions, provided there is no military threat to his nation. “As to enlargement, Russia has no problem with these states—none. And so in this sense there is no immediate…