Jul 10 Watch 6:27 U.S. ambassador to NATO discusses future of alliance ahead of crucial summit By Laura Barrón-López, Dan Sagalyn, Tess Conciatori Turkey's president said he would put Sweden's bid for NATO membership before the Turkish parliament. Erdogan had insisted Sweden needed to first crack down on Kurdish militants who have sought refuge in Scandinavia. It comes as leaders from NATO's 31… Continue watching
Jul 10 Turkey agrees to send Sweden's NATO accession protocol to Parliament swiftly By Karl Ritter, Suzan Fraser, Associated Press Stoltenberg made the announcement after talks with Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on the eve of a NATO summit in Lithuania. Continue reading
Jul 10 War in Ukraine, defense spending, potential memberships on the agenda at NATO summit By Associated Press The focus will be what to do about Ukraine's future membership of NATO, and the security guarantees the country might need to ensure that Russia doesn’t invade again after the war is over. Continue reading
Jul 10 Erdogan proposes letting Sweden join NATO in exchange for a path for Turkey to join the EU By Ken Ritter, Suzan Fraser, Associated Press Turkey is a candidate to join the EU, but democratic backsliding, disputes with EU-member Cyprus and other issues have held up its progress toward membership in the 27-nation bloc. Continue reading
Jul 06 WATCH: Swedish admission to NATO 'making progress,' alliance head Stoltenberg says By Lorne Cook, Associated Press Sweden gave up a history of non-alignment to apply to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Continue reading
Jul 05 Quran burning leaves Sweden torn between free speech and respecting minorities By Karl Ritter, Jan M. Olsen, Associated Press A Quran burning and requests to approve the destruction of more holy books have left Sweden torn between its commitment to free speech and respect for religious minorities. Continue reading
Jul 05 WATCH: Biden supports Sweden's NATO bid, hosting prime minister at the White House By Aamer Madhani, Chris Megerian, Associated Press Sweden and neighbor Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Both applied for NATO membership, but Sweden's admission has been held up by Turkey and Hungary. Continue reading
Apr 03 What are the last steps for Finland's NATO membership? By Associated Press NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will officially join the military alliance on Tuesday. The green light comes days after Turkey's parliament endorsed Finland's accession. Continue reading
Mar 27 Hungarian parliament approves Finland's bid to join NATO By Justin Spike, Associated Press Hungary's parliament has 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. Continue reading
Mar 23 Finnish president signs required laws to let country enter NATO By Jari Tanner, Associated Press The Finnish president has formally sealed the Nordic country's historic bid to join NATO by signing into laws the required legal amendments needed for membership in the military alliance. Continue reading