Jul 19 Senate panel approves NATO expansion, rushing to full Senate vote By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press Tuesday's vote came as lawmakers aim for quick Senate passage and a show of congressional support for expansion of the U.S. and European defense alliance. Continue reading
Jul 18 Turkey warns it can 'freeze' Sweden, Finland's NATO process By Associated Press Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country can still "freeze" Sweden and Finland's membership in NATO unless the two countries take steps that meet Ankara's security demands. Continue reading
Jul 05 Watch 3:51 News Wrap: NATO takes another step toward Finland and Sweden memberships In our news wrap Tuesday, NATO's 30 nations signed accession protocols for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, more than 50,000 people in Sydney, Australia are under evacuation orders amid a flood emergency, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces… Continue watching
Jul 05 NATO signs off on Sweden and Finland's membership bids By Raf Casert, Associated Press The 30 NATO allies have signed off on the protocols needed for Sweden and Finland to become members. Continue reading
Jun 12 U.S. and Sweden conduct military drills on Baltic Sea island By James Brooks, Associated Press Though the annual BALTOPS exercise isn't held in response to a specific threat, this year's edition comes amid heightened tensions with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. About 7,000 military personnel and 45 ships from 14 NATO countries, as well… Continue reading
Jun 05 NATO conducts naval exercises with Finland and Sweden By Jari Tanner, Associated Press Finland and Sweden both have a long history of military non-alignment before their governments decided to apply to join NATO in May. Continue reading
Jun 04 NATO chief seeks to curb Erdogan's resistance to Finland, Sweden joining alliance By Associated Press Stoltenberg, who visited Washington this week, tweeted that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed “the need to address Turkey’s concerns and move forward” with the Finnish and Swedish membership applications. Continue reading
May 29 Turkey's Erdogan remains opposed to Finnish, Swedish NATO bids By Associated Press Turkey’s president has told journalists he still intends to block Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO. Continue reading
May 25 Turkey demands 'concrete steps' to allow Finland, Sweden NATO membership By Suzan Fraser, Associated Press A senior Turkish official says Turkey will not agree to Sweden and Finland joining NATO without "concrete steps in a certain timeframe" to address Ankara's concerns. Continue reading
May 21 Turkey's Erdogan speaks with Swedish, Finnish leaders on NATO By Associated Press Erdogan called upon Sweden to lift defensive weapons export restrictions it imposed on Turkey over Turkey's 2019 incursion into northern Syria. Erdogan also said he expected Stockholm to take “concrete and serious steps” against the Kurdish Workers’ Party, or PKK,… Continue reading