NATO News and Discussion

[caltrek]

One of the few topics that was not carried over from the old forum concerned NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Yet, NATO has come front and center in the news due to the war in the Ukraine. So, it seemed logical to me to bring back that forum topic, especially after coming across the article linked and cited below.

NATO Was in Crisis. Putin’s War Made It Even More Powerful
by Jonathan Guyer
March 25, 2022

https://www.vox.com/22994826/nato-resur ... in-ukraine

Introduction:

(Vox) When President Joe Biden landed in Europe this week, it was a different continent than he had last visited in the fall of 2021.

After a month of intensive fighting in Ukraine, Russia has killed at least 1,000 civilians while an unknown number (but reportedly thousands) of Russian soldiers have died. By invading Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has catalyzed some major shifts. Germany, long averse to military spending, has decided to up its defense budget. European countries, skeptical of migrants, have welcomed Ukrainian refugees. And most of all, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been revived.

Long a lethargic dinosaur of an organization, NATO this week announced new battle groups would deploy to four countries on its eastern flank, and Biden announced that the alliance would respond to Russia should it use chemical weapons in Ukraine. It’s a remarkable shift for an alliance that French President Emmanuel Macron called brain dead just two and a half years ago. And it reveals a fundamental truth of the organization: It’s an alliance meant to counter a great power adversary, for good and bad.

Biden, who has long cheered the relationship between the United States and Europe, met 29 other heads of state and the secretary general of NATO for a closed-door meeting Thursday, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined by video. “Today’s establishment of four new battle groups in Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary is a strong signal that we will collectively defend and protect every inch of NATO territory,” Biden said.*

NATO summits, it might be said, are not usually very substantive. The family photo of recognizable world leaders is often the most memorable moment from these largely symbolic affairs. But NATO, an alliance forged to push back against Soviet influence in Europe during the Cold War, is designed for crisis.

*https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-roo ... to-summit/

Other sites of relevance:

https://www.nato.int/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/nato

[caltrek]

Kosovo, Bosnia Call for NATO Membership as War Rages in Ukraine
by Mersiha Gadzo
April 5, 2022

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/5 ... ia-leaders

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) As Russia’s influence grows in the Western Balkans and war rages in Ukraine, the leaders of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina have said joining NATO would help preserve regional security.

Since February 24, when President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine citing Russia’s opposition to Ukraine’s potential NATO membership as a leading concern, fears have simmered that the crisis may spread to the Western Balkans.

Russia’s alleged moves in the Western Balkans have been documented over the years and include attempts at facilitating coups in Montenegro and North Macedonia before their NATO membership in 2017 and 2020, respectively.

For Bosnia and Kosovo, having experienced mass killings committed by Serb forces in the 1990s under the administration of then Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, both countries have made it a strategic goal to join the United States-led transatlantic military alliance.

The pair remain the last non-NATO members in the region, aside from Serbia which views NATO as its “enemy”.

[weatheriscool]

NATO chief says Finland, Sweden welcome to apply to join
Source: AP

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO would quickly welcome Finland and Sweden into its ranks with open arms if they decided to apply, the military alliance’s top civilian official said Wednesday, as Russia’s war on Ukraine spurs public support in the two Nordic countries for membership.

The military organization might also be ready to provide security guarantees to the countries if any potential membership bid angers Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

A poll last month by Finnish broadcaster YLE showed that, for the first time, more than 50% of Finns support joining the Western military alliance. In neighboring Sweden, a similar poll showed that those in favor of NATO membership outnumber those against.

“If they decide to apply, I expect that all allies will welcome them,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, as NATO foreign ministers met to discuss the war in Ukraine. “We know that they can easily join this alliance if they decide to apply.”

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... 038784bd38

[weatheriscool]

NATO will deploy a permanent full-scale military force on its border with Russia to combat a future
Source: Businessinsider.com,

NATO will deploy a permanent full-scale military force on its border with Russia to defend its territory against a future Russian invasion, the alliance's chief said during an interview with The Telegraph.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the newspaper that the alliance was "in the midst of a very fundamental transformation" that will reflect "the long-term consequences" of Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions.

"What we see now is a new reality, a new normal for European security," Stoltenberg said, per The Telegraph. "Therefore, we have now asked our military commanders to provide options for what we call a reset, a longer-term adaptation of NATO."

The alliance currently has a small "tripwire" presence to the west of Russia. NATO troop numbers have increased tenfold to 40,000 since the invasion of Ukraine, The Daily Mail reported.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-de ... erg-2022-4

[caltrek]

NATO chief says Finland, Sweden welcome to apply to join
Source: AP

...

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... 038784bd38

Still more on that from Courthouse News:

Finland Leads Way to Potential NATO membership with Sweden Tapping In
by Lasse Sørensen
April 7, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/finland- ... apping-in/

Introduction:

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (Courthouse News) — Ending over 200 years of neutrality in foreign affairs and security policy is properly a hot potato on many Swedish dinner tables these days.

As Russian soldiers continue marching through Ukraine, the Swedes’ willingness to join NATO has grown stronger with each step.

Swedish citizens have never been so keen on joining NATO as now. A recent poll by Swedish opinion and social research company Kantor-Sifo shows 59% of respondents support joining NATO if Finland also becomes a member. Another 17% are against membership and 24% are undecided.

Asked whether or not respondents would join NATO without taking Finland’s membership into account, Swedish support for joining NATO dropped to 41% with 26% against. The poll is just the latest example of public opinion in Sweden turning toward a potential NATO membership.

But the willingness to join NATO is rather fragmented among Swedish politicians. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson rejected the idea in a press conference last month.

[weatheriscool]

Ukraine War: Russia warns Sweden and Finland against Nato membership
Source: BBC World News

Russia has warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato, arguing the move would not bring stability to Europe.
...
US officials expect the Nordic neighbours to bid for membership of the alliance, potentially as early as June.

Washington is believed to support the move which would see the Western alliance grow to 32 members. US State Department officials said last week that discussions had taken place between Nato leaders and foreign ministers from Helsinki and Stockholm.

Before it launched its invasion, Russia demanded that the alliance agree to halt any future enlargement, but the war has led to the deployment of more Nato troops on its eastern flank and a rise in public support for Swedish and Finnish membership.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61066503

[caltrek]

Ukraine War: Russia Warns Sweden and Finland Against NATO Membership
April 11, 2022

Edit: Dang, beat me by less than a minute.

[weatheriscool]

Russian foreign minister says war with Ukraine is meant to put an end to US world domination & NATO
Expansion

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Russia's unprovoked war with Ukraine is "meant to put an end" to US-led global domination and the expansion of NATO, according to a report.

"Our special military operation is meant to put an end to the unabashed expansion [of NATO] and the unabashed drive towards full domination by the US and its Western subjects on the world stage," Lavrov told the state-owned television news channel Rossiya 24, according to a translation from Russian state-run media outlet RT.

Additionally, Lavrov accused the United States of international law violations due to what he said were America's attempts to impose its own "rules-based international order," according to the report.

"This domination is built on gross violations of international law and under some rules, which they are now hyping so much and which they make up on a case-by-case basis," Lavrov said during the interview, RT reported.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-fore ... 22590.html

Yet it seems to be having the opposite effect Mr. Shit-for-brains.

[caltrek]

Russian foreign minister says war with Ukraine is meant to put an end to US world domination & NATO
Expansion

...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-fore ... 22590.html

Yet it seems to be having the opposite effect Mr. Shit-for-brains.

You noticed that also, I see.

[weatheriscool]

Ukraine War: Finland to decide on Nato membership in weeks says PM Marin
Source: BBC

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin says her country will decide whether to apply to join Nato "within weeks".
She said she saw no reason to delay the decision, at a joint news conference alongside Sweden's prime minister.
Her comments coincided with a report to the Finnish parliament that said membership of the bloc could result in "increased tensions on the border between Finland and Russia".
Moscow has warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato in recent weeks.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61093302

[weatheriscool]

Russia warns of nuclear, hypersonic deployment if Sweden and Finland join NATO
April 14, 2022
1:44 PM PDT

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - One of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden and Finland joined the U.S.-led military alliance then Russia would deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in a European exclave. Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden are considering joining the NATO alliance. Finland will decide in the next few weeks, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said that should Sweden and Finland join NATO then Russia would have to strengthen its land, naval and air forces in the Baltic Sea. Medvedev also explicitly raised the nuclear threat by saying that there could be no more talk of a "nuclear free" Baltic - where Russia has its Kaliningrad exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. "There can be no more talk of any nuclear–free status for the Baltic - the balance must be restored," said Medvedev, who was Russian president from 2008 to 2012.

Medvedev said he hoped Finland and Sweden would see sense. If not, he said, they would have to live with nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles close to home. When asked how Washington views the potential addition of Sweden and Finland to NATO in light of Russia's warning, the U.S. State Department said there was no change in Washington's position and repeated that "NATO's open door is an open door."

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ru ... 022-04-14/

[weatheriscool]

Sweden and Finland 'agree to both apply for NATO membership in May' in defiance of Russian threats
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... reats.html

Two newspapers - one Swedish, the other Finnish - have reported the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month.

Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week starting May 22 and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Sweden's Expressen tabloid.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to growing support in Sweden and Finland, a Russian neighbour, for joining NATO.

Though not members, both Nordic countries closely co-operate with NATO, allowing, among other things, the alliance's troops to carry out exercises on their soil.

Helsinki and Stockholm have also substantially intensified their bilateral defence co-operation in the past years, and there was talk earlier this month that the Nordic territories could both seek to join NATO in the coming months amid Russian aggression.

[weatheriscool]

Breaking: Finnish Parliament's Defence Committee Recommends NATO Membership
Source: U.S. News

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Joining NATO is the best option for Finland to guarantee its national security, the Finnish Parliament's defence committee said on Tuesday, ahead of Finland's official decision on whether or not to join the Western defence union in the coming days.

Finland's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would significantly increase the deterrent for becoming a target of Russia's aggression, the defence committee concluded in a statement.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/artic ... membership

[weatheriscool]

Finland moves toward joining NATO amid Russian threats
Source: Associated Press/Oleksandr Stashevskyi

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Finland’s leaders Thursday came out in favor of applying to join NATO, and Sweden could do the same within days, in a historic realignment on the continent 2 1/2 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscow’s neighbors.

The Kremlin reacted by warning it will be forced to take retaliatory “military-technical” steps.

(snip)

Finland’s president and prime minister announced that the Nordic country should apply right away for membership in NATO, the military defense pact founded in part to counter the Soviet Union.

“You (Russia) caused this. Look in the mirror,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said this week.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... 31d6692683

[weatheriscool]

Erdogan says Turkey not supportive of Finland, Sweden joining NATO
Source: Reuters

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday it was not possible for NATO-member Turkey to support plans by Sweden and Finland to join the pact, saying the Nordic countries were "home to many terrorist organisations".

Though Turkey has officially supported enlargement since it joined NATO 70 years ago, its opposition could pose a problem for Sweden and Finland given new members need unanimous agreement...

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/erdogan-s ... 022-05-13/

[Time_Traveller]

Sweden’s governing party backs NATO membership

May 15, 2022

Sweden’s governing Social Democrat Party on Sunday backed the idea of the country joining NATO in a historic policy U-turn that clears the way for a formal membership application in the coming days.

The move brings Sweden into line with neighboring Finland, where both the president and prime minister said last week that their country should join the Western military alliance.

Observers say Sweden’s official NATO bid could come as soon as Monday, with Finland likely moving on a similar timeline.

https://www.politico.eu/article/sweden- ... raine-war/

[weatheriscool]

Once neutral Sweden seeks NATO membership in historic shift
Source: AP

By KARL RITTER

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden on Monday decided to join neighboring Finland in seeking NATO membership, ending more than two centuries of military nonalignment in a historic shift prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson warned that the Nordic country would be in a “vulnerable position” during the application period and urged her fellow citizens to brace themselves for the Russian response.

“Russia has said that that it will take countermeasures if we join NATO,” she said. “We cannot rule out that Sweden will be exposed to, for instance, disinformation and attempts to intimidate and divide us.”

Sweden’s move came a day after the governing Social Democratic party endorsed a plan for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance and Finland’s government announced that it would seek to join NATO.



Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, right, and the Moderate Party's leader Ulf Kristersson give a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday, May 16, 2022. Sweden's government has decided to apply for a NATO membership. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... c0f14d4ef6

[weatheriscool]

Switzerland considering NATO membership
Analysis: Neutral Switzerland leans closer to NATO in response to Russia

BERN, May 15 (Reuters) - Switzerland's fabled neutral status is about to face its biggest test in decades, with the defence ministry tilting closer to Western military powers in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The defence ministry is drawing up a report on security options that include joint military exercises with NATO countries and "backfilling" munitions, Paelvi Pulli, head of security policy at the Swiss defence ministry told Reuters.

The details of the policy options under discussion in the government have not been previously reported.

"Ultimately, there could be changes in the way neutrality is interpreted," Pulli said in an interview last week. On a trip to Washington this week, Defence Minister Viola Amherd said Switzerland should work more closely with the U.S.-led military alliance, but not join it, Swiss media reported.

Neutrality, which kept Switzerland out of both world wars during the 20th century, was not an objective in itself, but was intended to increase Swiss security, Pulli said.

Other options include high-level and regular meetings between Swiss and NATO commanders and politicians, she said.

Moving so much closer to the alliance would mark a departure from the carefully nurtured tradition of not taking sides that its supporters say helped Switzerland prosper peacefully and maintain a special role as intermediary, including during the West's standoff with the Soviet Union.

The idea of full membership of NATO has been discussed, but whereas Sweden and Finland - countries that also have a history of neutrality - are on the verge of joining, Pulli said the report was unlikely to recommend Switzerland take that step.

Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/ ... 022-05-15/

[weatheriscool]

Finland's parliament votes yes to NATO
Source: Reuters

HELSINKI, May 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a proposal to apply for membership of the NATO military alliance in a historic policy shift prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

President Sauli Niinisto and the government decided officially on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership but the decision was pending parliament's approval.

Of the 200 lawmakers, 188 voted in favour and eight against the application, Speaker Matti Vanhanen said.

Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said the decision was no reason to celebrate because "there is war in Europe".

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fi ... 022-05-17/

[weatheriscool]

Sweden signs NATO request, Finns to formally endorse move
Source: AP

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden on Tuesday signed a formal request to join NATO, a day after the country announced it would seek membership in the 30-member military alliance. In neighboring Finland, lawmakers are expected later in the day to formally endorse Finnish leaders’ decision also to join.

The moves by the two Nordic countries, ending Sweden’s more than 200 years of military nonalignment and Finland’s nonalignment after World War II, have provoked the ire of the Kremlin.

While most NATO members are keen to welcome the two countries as quickly as possible, Turkey has potentially complicated their accession by saying it cannot allow them to become members because of their perceived inaction against exiled Kurdish militants.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday doubled down on comments last week indicating that the two Nordic countries´ path to NATO would be anything but smooth. All 30 current NATO countries must agree to open the door to new members. He accused the two Nordic countries of refusing to extradite “terrorists” wanted by his country.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east- ... 0281e77c51