DefenceTalkTurkey on Wednesday said the NATO accession process for Sweden and Finland would not move forward unless they addressed Ankara’s security concerns, in talks with delegations from both Nordic states. “We conveyed our message in very clear terms that the process will not move forward unless Turkey’s security concerns are addressed through concrete steps and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-threatens-to-stall-nato-process-if-nordic-nations-fail-to-act-78823/

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/

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/

DefenceTalkSweden’s prime minister said Wednesday she hasn’t ruled out NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after having insisted until now on her country’s policy of military non-alliance. “I don’t rule out NATO membership in any way”, Magdalena Andersson told Swedish public television SVT, adding that a review of the country’s security […]https://www.defencetalk.com/swedens-pm-says-hasnt-ruled-out-nato-membership-78556/

DefenceTalkIn a muddy car park in Norway’s Far North, Finnish troops show off their military might, lining up rocket launchers, artillery and snowmobiles as they prepare to train alongside their NATO brothers-in-arms. While Finland and Sweden’s partnership with the Atlantic Alliance is nothing new, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the two militarily non-aligned nations […]https://www.defencetalk.com/with-war-next-door-finland-sweden-train-with-nato-78504/

DefenceTalkSweden’s government announced plans Thursday for a major boost in military spending to two percent of GDP “as soon as possible”, citing the security threat from Russia’s war in Ukraine. Sweden, which ended decades of defence cuts after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, said it hoped to reach its goal within a decade but gave […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sweden-to-raise-military-spending-over-ukraine-war-78368/

DefenceTalkNon NATO-members Sweden and Finland are counting on the European Union’s mutual defence clause in the event of a military attack, Sweden’s prime minister said Tuesday amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West. Ahead of a summit of EU leaders in Versailles on Thursday and Friday, the two countries wrote a joint letter to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sweden-finland-remind-eu-of-mutual-defence-clause-78335/