DefenceTalkWhile Finland Tuesday became a full NATO member, Sweden’s membership bid remains blocked, an “embarrassing” delay if short-lived but which could make Sweden more vulnerable and create problems within NATO if it drags on, experts told AFP. Finland became the 31st member of the military alliance after securing the last two ratifications needed from Hungary […]https://www.defencetalk.com/long-nato-delay-spells-trouble-for-sweden-and-alliance-experts-80002/

DefenceTalkFinland, which has one of Europe’s longest borders with Russia, on Tuesday kicks off a parliamentary debate aimed at accelerating the country’s bid to join NATO, increasing the likelihood it will leave neighbor and military partner Sweden behind. Spooked by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden dropped their decades-long policies of military non-alignment and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-moves-closer-to-joining-nato-without-sweden-79901/

DefenceTalkA majority of Finns want to go ahead and join NATO even if Sweden’s membership is delayed, a poll suggested Thursday, after Turkey said it could accept Finland without Sweden. More than half of respondents, 53 percent, replied negatively when asked “whether Finland should wait for Sweden” even “if it takes longer to ratify Sweden’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/majority-of-finns-want-to-join-nato-before-sweden-poll-79837/

DefenceTalkFinland’s foreign minister said Wednesday he hoped Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO ratification process would be completed ahead of the alliance’s Vilnius summit in July, despite a row with Turkey. Ankara on Tuesday postponed NATO accession talks with Sweden and Finland, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Stockholm for allowing weekend protests that included the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finnish-fm-hopes-for-nato-ratification-by-july-79765/

DefenceTalkTurkey on Tuesday postponed NATO accession talks with Sweden and Finland, further denting the Nordic neighbors’ hopes of joining the Western defence alliance after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ankara announced its decision one day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at Sweden for allowing weekend protests that included the burning of the Koran […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-postpones-nato-talks-with-sweden-finland-79745/

DefenceTalkFighter jet engines whined this week on a stretch of highway in central Finland, where the military trained on stretches of road that double as spare landing strips. As one of Finland’s dozens of reserve runways, the empty highway near the town of Joutsa, hosted an annual air force exercise with F/A-18 Hornets taking off […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finnish-air-force-turns-highways-into-landing-strips-79448/

DefenceTalkWithin Slovakia’s BOV 8×8 program Patria will contribute to the development of the local engineering and defence industry with transferring high-end armored modular vehicle technical experience and innovations. Geographically, the industrial cooperation covers Slovakia widely. The program will create educational benefits and jobs that provide work for decades, including life cycle services that come after […]https://www.defencetalk.com/slovakia-and-finland-sign-an-agreement-on-patria-amvxp-8x8-vehicles-79283/

DefenceTalkFinland’s parliament said Tuesday its website came under cyber attack, as the Nordic country applies for NATO membership following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “A denial of service attack is taking place against the parliament’s external website,” parliament said in a statement. The attack began around 2:30 pm (1130 GMT), slowing down or completely denying access […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finnish-parliament-website-targeted-in-cyber-attack-79181/

DefenceTalkTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday renewed his threat to “freeze” the NATO membership bids of both Sweden and Finland unless the military alliance complies with Ankara’s conditions. At a NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June, Erdogan called on the two countries to “do their part” in the fight against terrorism, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/erdogan-renews-threat-to-freeze-swedish-finnish-nato-bids-79104/

DefenceTalkRussia has “no problem” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. “We don’t have problems with Sweden and Finland like we do with Ukraine,” Putin told a news conference in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat. “We don’t have territorial differences,” the Russian leader continued. “There is nothing that could bother […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-problem-for-russia-if-finland-sweden-join-nato-putin-79054/