DefenceTalkTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has threatened to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO, urged the alliance’s members on Wednesday to “respect” Ankara’s concerns about the two countries, which Turkey accuses of harboring terrorists. “Our only expectation from NATO allies is… to first understand our sensitivity, respect and finally support it,” Erdogan told […]https://www.defencetalk.com/erdogan-urges-nato-allies-to-respect-concerns-over-finland-sweden-78802/

DefenceTalkPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday confirmed Turkey’s opposition to NATO membership for Finland and Sweden, again accusing them of failing to take a clear stance against terrorism. “We will not say ‘yes’ to those (countries) who apply sanctions to Turkey to join security organization NATO,” Erdogan said. Sweden has suspended any arms sales to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-will-not-say-yes-to-nato-membership-for-sweden-finland-erdogan-78789/

DefenceTalkSweden on Monday officially announced it will apply for NATO membership as a deterrent against Russian aggression, entering a “new era” as it reverses two centuries of military non-alignment. “The government has decided to inform NATO that Sweden wants to become a member of the alliance,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told reporters a day after […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sweden-enters-new-era-with-nato-bid-78786/

DefenceTalkNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday the alliance could heighten its presence around Sweden and the Baltic Sea to protect the country from Russian interference during a potential membership application. “We must remember that from the moment Sweden potentially applies, and NATO says that it wants Sweden to join, there is a very strong […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-eyes-heightened-presence-around-sweden-baltic-78777/

DefenceTalkUkraine’s Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on Wednesday said Kyiv faced “extremely difficult weeks” ahead, warning of major “destruction” in a developing Russian offensive in the east of the country. “Some extremely difficult weeks lie ahead,” Reznikov said in a statement on Facebook. “Russia has already gathered forces for a large-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine,” he […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-faces-extremely-difficult-weeks-ahead-defence-minister-78745/

DefenceTalkFormer Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned Thursday that Russia would deploy nuclear weapons close to the Baltic States and Scandinavia if Finland or Sweden decide to join NATO. Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and president from 2008 to 2012, wrote on Telegram that if the countries joined, this would more than double Russia’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-would-deploy-nuclear-arms-near-finland-sweden-if-join-nato-78688/

DefenceTalkFinland is preparing for a potentially historic decision “before midsummer” on whether to apply to join NATO as a deterrent against Russian aggression. The Nordic nation of 5.5 million has traditionally been militarily non-aligned, in part to avoid provoking its eastern neighbor, with which it shares a 1,300 kilometer (830 mile) border. But Russia’s invasion […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-gears-up-for-historic-nato-decision-78661/

DefenceTalkEuropean Council chief Charles Michel on Thursday backed a proposal to release an additional 500 million euros ($540 million) to provide arms for Ukraine. “Once swiftly approved this will bring to 1.5 billion euros the EU support already provided for military equipment for #Ukraine,” Michel tweeted, also thanking EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell for proposing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eu-proposes-500-million-euros-more-for-arms-to-ukraine-78645/

DefenceTalkNorthrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC), NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) RQ-4D Phoenix Global Hawk has reached a major milestone with the NATO AGS Management Agency (NAGSMA)’s Full System Handover to the NATO AGS Force (NAGSF) at the Main Operating Base, Sigonella, Sicily. The specially-designed AGS system is uniquely suited to NATO requirements and is providing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-rq-4d-phoenix-achieves-major-milestone-with-full-system-handover-78651/

DefenceTalkUkraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday called on NATO members to provide Kyiv with all the heavy weaponry it needs to fight Russia’s invading forces. “My agenda is very simple. It has only three items on it. Its weapons, weapons, and weapons,” Kuleba told journalists ahead of a meeting with NATO foreign ministers in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-calls-for-weapons-weapons-weapons-at-nato-talks-78631/