Sweden finally ends non-alignment and joins NATO in the shadow of Ukraine war

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later demanded action after protesters insulted the Quran, Islam's holy book, while enjoying Swedish laws on freedom of expression. In an apparent but unstated sweetener, the United States jeopardized the sale of F-16 warplanes to Turkey, which has previously faced the wrath of US sanctions on large military purchases from […]

Sweden's historic entry into NATO: a long-awaited victory for security and diplomacy

Finland successfully joined in April 2023. Sweden's candidacy stalled due to a strong pressure from Turkey, which demanded that Stockholm, known for its generous asylum policies, crack down on Kurdish militants campaigning against Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later demanded action after protesters insulted the Quran, Islam's holy book, while enjoying Swedish laws on […]

NATO to demonstrate increase in defense spending in response to Trump’s threats

France said Europe needed another “life insurance” policy besides NATO to ensure the continent’s security. Diplomats from several NATO countries say keeping the United States on board is fundamental to deterring the threat from Russia. But they are also optimistic about how genuine Trump’s threats are, arguing that the coalition has emerged from his first […]

Meta title: Putin says he won’t renew grain deal unless West meets his demands

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday urged Moscow to return to the agreement, insisting that “Russia has no legal and political grounds for withdrawing from the agreement.” Monday’s talks took place against the backdrop of Ukraine’s recent retaliatory offensive against the Kremlin’s invading forces. In the latest development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on […]

Ukrainian army surrounds Bakhmut, pressured by China to help end war

France’s Macron pressures China’s Xi to pressure Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Xi has called Putin a “dear friend”, their nations have declared a “no-limits” partnership, and Beijing has refrained from criticizing Russia’s invasion. “The Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to (international) stability,” Macron told Xi before meeting with the […]

Finland joins NATO as Russian war prompts change

But last week, Turkey’s parliament voted to clear Finland’s last hurdle. Completing ratification in less than a year is still the fastest membership process in the alliance’s recent history. Tuesday’s highly choreographed formalities remained at NATO headquarters. The Foreign Minister of Finland will hand over the formal Instrument of Accession to US Secretary of State […]

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Finland’s NATO accession as Sweden waits

After completing the ratification process, both Turkey and Hungary are required to send their ratification documents to the US government in Washington, which is NATO’s depository under the alliance’s founding treaty. Stoltenberg will formally invite Finland to join NATO. The Finnish government said that as a final step, Finland would deliver an “instrument of accession” […]

Russia’s isolation on Ukraine grows with US reporter’s arrest, NATO expansion

Ukrainian military analyst and journalist, Andrey Tsaplyenko, interviewed on Ukrainian NV radio, said that Russian forces were trying to repeat at Avdievka what happened at Bakhmut. “The city is under constant, daily shelling. They understand that they cannot easily capture it and are instead starting to destroy Avdivka as much as possible,” Tsaplienko said. Reuters […]