Page 10 - Nato

NATO chief Stoltenberg visits Kyiv for 1st time since Russian invasion

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is visiting Ukraine for the first time since last year's invasion by Russia, an alliance official said on Thursday. The NATO Secretary General is in Ukraine. We will release more information as soon as possible, said an alliance official, who asked not to be identified in line with NATO procedures. Stoltenberg had been to Kyiv before the war, but this is his first visit during the hostilities and underscores the longstanding commitments of the alliance in defence of Ukraine's independence.

US approves F-16 fighter jets upgrade after Turkey eases stand on NATO

The US agreed Monday to sell Turkey $259 million in software it has long sought to upgrade its fleet of US F-16 fighter jets. State Department approval of the sale comes about two weeks after Turkey dropped its objections to Finland joining NATO. Turkey continues to withhold its approval for Sweden to join the military alliance. NATO requires unanimous approval to admit new members. Turkey also still wants to buy 40 new F-16s from the US, but some in Congress oppose the sale until Turkey approves NATO membership for both Nordic countries. Turkey fell out of grace with the US on high-tech military aircraft purchases after it decided in 2017 to acquire Russian air-defence missiles. Turkey was kicked out of a US programme to develop the next-generation F-35 fighter plane and Turkish defence officials were sanctioned. The US said the Russian missiles posed a threat to the F-35 and strongly objected to their use within the NATO alliance. Turkey sees the F-16s as an interim option to bui

NATO member Finland breaks ground on Russia border fence near Imatra

The construction of barbed-wired fence along Finland's long border with Russia - primarily meant to curb illegal migration - has broken ground near the southeastern town of Imatra less than two weeks after the Nordic country joined NATO as the 31st member of the military alliance. The Finnish Border Guard on Friday showcased the building of the initial three kilometer (1.8 mile) stretch of the fence to be erected in Pelkola near a crossing point off Imatra, a quiet lakeside town of some 25,000 people. Finland's 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia is the longest of any European Union member. Construction of the border fence is an initiative by the border guard that was approved by Prime Minister Sanna Marin's government amid wide political support last year. The main purpose of the three-meter (10-foot) high steel fence with a barbed-wire extension on top is to prevent illegal immigration from Russia and give reaction time to authorities, Finnish border officials say. In .

Finnish president: Joining NATO won't solve all our problems

Finland's President Sauli Niinist on Thursday warned that the country's new status as a NATO member doesn't solve every problem, and said Helsinki should not let down its guard on security issues. We still bear the main responsibility for our own security. Wherever we detect any gaps or vulnerabilities, they must be fixed, Niinist said, in a speech to lawmakers as they gathered for the first time since the April 2 elections. He added that Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, has been focused on regional security in the past year, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We must not let this level of alertness drop in the future, either, the president said as he formally opened the 200-member Eduskunta legislature. We should better understand how organically the dangers and tensions we are witnessing here are linked with the increasing geopolitical pressures." Finland's main conservative party came first in this month's elections, after a tight three-

Finland unlikely to get NATO battle group given its defence capabilities

NATO has established 8 multinational battle groups in Poland and the Baltic nations, and more recently in Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania, to serve as a "tripwire" in case of Russian attack

Finland becomes NATO member as Russia warns of 'counter-measures'

In Russia's opinion, the expansion of NATO infringes on its security and national interests

Finland becomes member of Nato, Russia threatens 'counter-measures'

NATO's blue and white flags fluttered against the backdrop of Helsinki's deep blue sky as Finland was on the cusp of its historic entry into NATO on Tuesday, a step that doubles the Western alliance's border with Russia and ends decades of non-alignment for the Nordic nation. The country's foreign minister travelled the night before to Brussels carrying papers in a suitcase that when handed over to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will seal Finland's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. It's a moment that most Finns had never even sought as they balanced friendly ties with both the West and Russia. But all that changed with Russia's full-scale and brutal invasion of its neighbour Ukraine last year, creating a sudden and strong sense of insecurity that pushed the nation toward membership to the security alliance. Newspapers showed Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto with a smile on his face as he travelled to Brussels late Monday for the raising of Finland's flag at NAT

Finland's Nato moment

A snub for Putin, a risk for Europe

Finland's parliamentary website targeted ahead of NATO entry: Report

Finland's parliamentary website was paralysed by a denial-of-service attack on Tuesday, just before the country made its historic entry into NATO, a move that more than doubles NATO's border with Russia and has angered Russian President Vladimir Putin. The attacks in which participants flood targets with junk data made the parliament's site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available for a time. A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscow's orders, has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the US and its allies in the past. The claim could not be immediately verified. For the most part, Finns went about their business as usual on the bright cold day, belying the historic nature of Finland becoming the 31st member of NATO. Its membership was formalised with a series of steps in Brussels. It's a moment that

In setback to Putin, Finland set to officially become NATO member

Finland is set to officially become a member of NATO later on Tuesday and take its place among the ranks of the world's biggest security alliance. Neighboring Russia has already warned that it will bolster its defences near their joint border if NATO deploys any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country. Finland's blue and white flag is scheduled to be raised among those of its partners outside NATO's Brussels headquarters. Finland's president, foreign and defense ministers will take part. The ceremony falls on NATO's very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers. Turkey became the last NATO member country to ratify Finland's membership protocol on Thursday. It will hand over the document officially enshrining that decision to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken before the ceremony. Finland will then give Blinken its own fi

Finland's membership will make alliance stronger: NATO General Secretary

In a video shared by the official Twitter account of NATO Spokesperson, Oana Lungescu, the NATO General Secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, is heard welcoming and congratulating Finland

As Finland plans to join Nato, a look at how countries join the alliance

Nato's membership has increased from 12 to 30 countries through eight rounds of enlargement. The Republic of North Macedonia became the latest country to join Nato on March 27, 2020

NATO, US forces join Romania-led Black Sea multinational military drills

Romania's navy led multinational military drills in the Black Sea region Thursday that brought together U.S. and NATO troops as the 30-nation alliance looks to boost security on its southeastern flank amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. The sea and air exercises are part of a series of drills known as Sea Shield 2023 that involve some 3,400 military personnel from 12 NATO member countries and some partner nations. Romania's navy said Thursday's drills in the Mahmudia region of the Danube Delta, which flows into the Black Sea, would demonstrate how the combined forces would neutralise an enemy air landing in an area adjacent to such a waterway. More than 30 naval ships, 14 aircraft and 15 fast intervention boats and other patrol vessels are taking part in Sea Shield 2023, which started March 20 and runs until April 2. Anti-explosive divers have participated in drills, as have chemical, biological, and nuclear defence specialists. In response to Russia's February 2022 invasion of

Hungarian parliament approves Finland's bid to join Western alliance Nato

Hungary's parliament on Monday approved Finland's bid to join NATO, ending months of delays and bringing the Nordic country one step closer to becoming a full member of the Western military alliance. Hungarian lawmakers voted 182 for and only six against with no abstentions. The vote came after Hungary's government frustrated allies in NATO and the European Union by repeatedly postponing the measure for months after nearly all other members of the alliance had ratified Finland's bid. With Hungary's approval, Turkey is now the only one of NATO's 30 members not to have ratified Finland's NATO accession. Admitting a new country requires unanimity among all member nations.

NATO countries are party to Ukraine conflict: Russian security chief

Nikolay Patrushev emphasises that the NATO countries are parties to the conflict with Ukraine

In Putin and Russia, Xi sees a counterweight to American influence: WH

In President Vladimir Putin and Russia, the Chinese President Xi Jinping sees a counterweight to the American and NATO influence in the world, the White House said Tuesday. The statement by John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, came as Putin hosted the Chinese leader. "I think you've seen over the years that these two countries are growing close together. I wouldn't go so far to call it an alliance. (it's) a marriage of convenience, because that's what I think it is. In President Putin and Russia, President Xi sees a counterweight to American influence and NATO influence, certainly on the continent and elsewhere around the world," Kirby told reporters at a daily news conference here. "In President Xi, President Putin sees a potential backer here. This is a man who doesn't have a whole lot of friends on the international stage. They can count them on one hand mostly. He really needs and wants President Xi's support for wha

US urges Turkey to 'quickly' ratify Sweden's NATO membership after Finland

After Turkey approved the process of ratifying Finland's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the US welcomed the decision of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Poland to be 1st NATO member to give Ukraine fighter jets to defend itself

Poland said Thursday it plans to give Ukraine about a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfil Kyiv's increasingly urgent requests for warplanes to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Warsaw will hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes "within the next few days," President Andrzej Duda said, and the rest needed servicing but would be supplied later. The Polish word he used to describe the total number can mean between 11 and 19. "They are in the last years of their functioning, but they are in good working condition," Duda said. He did not say whether other countries would follow suit, although Slovakia has said it would send its own disused MiGs to Ukraine. Poland also was the first NATO nation to provide Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks. On Wednesday, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said some other countries also had pledged MiGs to Kyiv, but did not identify them. Both Poland and Slovakia had indicated they were

Prez Erdogan hints Turkey may ratify Finland's NATO membership

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested Wednesday that his country could soon ratify Finland's application to join NATO, allowing for the possibility of the country joining the military alliance separately from Sweden. Alarmed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Finland and Sweden abandoned decades of nonalignment and applied to join the alliance. All 30 NATO members have approved their applications, and 28 have ratified their accession. Only Turkey and Hungary have failed to do so. Turkey's government accuses Sweden of being too soft on groups that it deems to be terror organizations and existential threats, including Kurdish groups. Ankara has said, however, that it has fewer problems with Finland's membership. Asked by reporters whether Turkey could ratify Finland's membership following a visit by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto later in the week, Erdogan responded: God willing, if it is for the best. Whatever the process is, the process will function. We will

Sweden, Finland discuss NATO accession with Turkey, says military bloc

Representatives of Sweden, Finland and Turkey held talks in Brussels to discuss progress on fulfilling Turkey's conditions for agreeing to the Nordic countries' accession to NATO