Finland
Biden Administration Faces Resistance to Plan to Sell F-16s to Turkey
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has informed Congress that it wants to discuss proposed major arms sales for Turkey and Greece, according to two U.S. officials, but it already faces resistance on Capitol Hill to Ankara’s request for new and upgraded F-16 fighter jets. The $20 billion arms package for Turkey would include 40 new […]
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U.S. Warship Arrives in Stockholm for Military Exercises, and as a Warning
ABOARD U.S.S. KEARSARGE, in the port of Stockholm — If ever there was a potent symbol of how much Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has altered Europe, the sight of this enormous warship, bristling with 26 warplanes and 2,400 Marines and sailors, moored among the pleasure craft and tour boats that ply this port, would certainly […]
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For NATO, Turkey Is a Disruptive Ally
WASHINGTON — When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey threatened this month to block NATO membership for Finland and Sweden, Western officials were exasperated — but not shocked. Within an alliance that operates by consensus, the Turkish strongman has come to be seen as something of a stickup artist. In 2009, he blocked the appointment […]
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For Putin, a Nordic Nightmare Is Springing to Life
For years, President Vladimir V. Putin has viewed the expansion of NATO as an existential threat that would leave Russia hemmed in with Western missiles on its doorstep. Now, Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine seems to be bringing the Russian leader’s nightmare to life, with NATO on the brink of starting its largest potential expansion in […]
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After 200 Years of Neutrality, Sweden Weighs Joining NATO
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created new fears, and the Swedes, dragged along by Finland, are expected to apply, reluctantly, to join the alliance and its collective defense. May 13, 2022 TOFTA, Sweden — The Gotland regiment of the Swedish Army was going through its paces, practicing how to use its Swedish-designed lightweight anti-tank missiles, the […]
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Finland Moves to Join NATO, Upending Putin’s Ukraine War Aims
BRUSSELS — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has said stopping NATO’s expansion helped drive him to invade Ukraine. But on Thursday, Finland declared its unequivocal intention to join, not only upending Mr. Putin’s plan, but also placing the alliance’s newest prospective member on Russia’s northern doorstep. The declaration by Finland’s leaders that they will […]
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At Venice Biennale, a ‘Different Notion of Nation’
OSLO — Right about now, many members of the Sámi, one of Europe’s oldest Indigenous groups, are embarking on a spring migration, moving the reindeer herds upon which their livelihood and culture depend to grazing areas mostly north of the Arctic Circle. But this year, a handful are headed in the opposite direction. They are […]
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Finland, Non-NATO and Nervous, Discusses Defense With Biden
WASHINGTON — When President Biden met in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon with Sauli Niinisto, the president of the non-NATO member and increasingly nervous Finland, Mr. Biden tried to put his guest at ease with a little banter recalling something that Barack Obama once said. “President Obama used to say, ‘We’d be all right […]
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NATO Countries Pour Weapons Into Ukraine, Risking Conflict With Russia
Sweden, not a member of NATO, announced that it would send Ukraine 5,000 antitank weapons, 5,000 helmets, 5,000 items of body armor and 135,000 field rations, plus about $52 million for the Ukrainian military. Finland, similarly, has said it will deliver 2,500 assault rifles and 150,000 rounds of ammunition for them, 1,500 antitank weapons and […]
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