President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed the leaders of Sweden and Finland to the White House, as he hailed the application of the once-neutral countries to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Hours before his first trip to Asia as president, Biden will sit down with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinist
The US struggled to get clarity from Turkey over severity of its opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, as President Erdogan took an increasingly tough line against their membership bids
If, as seems likely, NATO accepts their request, this will be the Atlantic Alliance's biggest and most far-reaching expansion in two decades
NATO envoys failed to reach a consensus on Wednesday about whether to start membership talks with Finland and Sweden, diplomats said, as Turkey renewed its objections to the two Nordic countries
Sweden and Finland were both neutral throughout the Cold War, and their decision to join NATO is one of the most significant changes in Europe's security architecture for decades
"Finland and Sweden, as well as other neutral countries, have been participating in NATO military exercises for many years," Lavrov said
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday ratcheted up his objection to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, accusing the countries of failing to take a clear stance against Kurdish militants
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked his forces who reportedly pushed all the way to the Russian border in the Kharkiv region in a symbolic gain
The government has decided on a bill that will make it possible for Sweden to receive military support from all European Union and NATO countries, she said
Russian President says expansion of military infrastructure onto Nordic territory 'will of course give rise to our reaction in response'.
Sweden, after Finland is set to request for a NATO membership looking at the recent turnaround of the ruling party in the country. This decision also comes at the helm of Russian conflict with Ukraine
Security concerns over Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden which have long espoused neutrality
'Romania is a long-standing supporter of NATO's "open door policy" and stressed the importance of unity and solidarity within the alliance in the light of Russia's military operation in Ukraine'
This comes as Finland and Sweden have started discussing the possibility of abandoning long-term neutrality and joining NATO amid the Russian military operation in Ukraine
Finland's president and prime minister announced that the Nordic country should apply right away for membership in NATO, the military defence pact founded in part to counter the Soviet Union
The announcement by President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin means Finland is virtually certain to seek NATO membership
The two nations are expected to join NATO, but both are worried they would be vulnerable while their applications are processed.
Live news updates: Group of Seven leaders plan to discuss potential new penalties against Russia on Sunday.
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