NATO News and Discussion

[Time_Traveller]

Turkey blocks early vote on Sweden and Finland joining Nato

Wed 18 May 2022

Sweden and Finland have formally submitted their applications to join Nato but Turkey blocked an early move to fast-track the Nordic countries’ requests, demanding they extradite “terrorists” and that the alliance respect its concerns.

The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, accepted the two historically non-aligned Nordic countries’ membership requests, each in a white folder embossed with their national flag, at the US-led defensive alliance’s HQ in Brussels on Wednesday.

“I warmly welcome the requests by Finland and Sweden to join Nato. You are our closest partners,” Stoltenberg told the two countries’ ambassadors, hailing the occasion as “a historic step” and “a good day at a critical time for our safety”.

However, multiple reports cited diplomatic sources as saying Turkey later blocked a vote by Nato ambassadors on opening talks immediately, suggesting the first stage of the accession process may take longer than the two weeks the alliance planned.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... -join-nato

[caltrek]

Turkey blocks early vote on Sweden and Finland joining Nato

More on that:

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Ankara would not look “positively” on Sweden and Finland’s NATO bids unless its concerns were addressed, despite broad support from other allies, including the United States.

Turkey has long accused Nordic countries, in particular Sweden which has a strong Turkish immigrant community, of harbouring outlawed Kurdish rebels as well as supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based preacher wanted over the failed 2016 coup.

Erdogan’s opposition has thrown a major potential obstacle in the way of the likely membership bids from the hitherto militarily non-aligned Nordic nations since a consensus is required in NATO decisions.

“Unless Sweden and Finland clearly show that they will stand in solidarity with Turkey on fundamental issues, especially in the fight against terrorism, we will not approach these countries’ NATO membership positively,” Erdogan told NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in a phone call, according to the presidency.

On Twitter, Stoltenberg said he spoke with Erdogan “of our valued ally” on the importance of “NATO’s Open Door”.

Read more here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/2 ... n-nato-bid

[caltrek]

Will Russia Retaliate Militarily to Finland and Sweden Joining NATO?
by Saaransh Mishra
May 25, 2022

Extract:

(Eurasia Review) President Putin has given some mixed signals by stating that although Russia “does not have problems” with this move (Sweden and Finland joining NATO) as this does not pose any “immediate threat” to his nation, he stated that NATO’s enlargement is being utilised by the US in an “aggressive” manner to aggravate an already difficult global scenario. He also added that Russia’s reaction will be contingent on the problems that are created for them and that these problems were being created for no reason at all. If one of Russia’s aims behind the military operation in Ukraine was to stop NATO expansion eastwards, then this development would suggest the exact opposite.

Nevertheless, in a realistic sense, this change in the status of the two countries’ military alignment should not make as much difference given that both Finland and Sweden have already had a great deal of interoperability with NATO since the 1990s.

Both Finland and Sweden are NATO partners and have worked with NATO on various crucial missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. The two countries also participate in hundreds of advanced exercises with NATO such as the Trident Juncture and cooperate with the western military alliance on defence, based on NATO standards. Moreover, Finland and Sweden are closely allied with the western military apparatus through their membership of the UK’s Joint Expeditionary Forces which has eight NATO members as well.

Following the outbreak of the Ukraine war too, Finland and Sweden have reportedly been sharing intelligence and coordinating their policies with NATO and their ministers have also been attending NATO ministerial meetings, which symbolises an intimate nexus with the western alliance despite not being formal members.

There seems to be immense speculation on what Russia’s reaction might be to this provocation, especially after Ukraine. However, in a sense, this move, although surely complicates the security situation in Europe further, should not elicit a violent response from Russia which already saw these countries as heavily tied to the West. The change would appear to be just on the label.

Source: https://www.eurasiareview.com/25052022- ... -analysis/

[caltrek]

Danes Overwhelmingly Back European Union Defense Cooperation
by Mie Olsen
June 2, 2022

Extract:

(Courthouse News) On Wednesday, 66.9% of the Danish voters marked “yes” to whether Denmark should lift its defense reservation and be able to join European-led missions and arms cooperation.

Until now, Denmark has stood outside 14 EU interventions aiming to counter terror, stop piracy, and secure better control of refugees and migrants. The national opt-out meant that the Danish minister of defense had no say in military negotiations in the EU.
...
One of (a member of Dansk Folkeparti and the Identity and Democracy Group in the European Parliament Peter) Kofod’s main concerns is a potential internal rivalry in NATO, which could escalate if the two big weapon industries — France and the U.S. — start to compete more.
Kofod pointed to a case last fall where the French government responded strongly to a decision made by Australia to abandon a submarine deal and instead buy American nuclear-powered submarines.

If Denmark joins close military ties with the EU, Kofod contends, the small country can quickly find itself cornered to pick a European side in similar conflicts. He considers the U.S. a primary ally in intergovernmental questions of security.

...
Speaking to Courthouse News Service ahead of the vote last week, expert Henrik Larsen said that the EU does not have much impact on the war in Ukraine, as NATO coordinates the military responses.

Source: https://www.courthousenews.com/danes-ov ... operation/

[caltrek]

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Eyes Attending NATO Summit in Late June
June 4, 2022

Entire Article:

(Kyodo News) Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to attend a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization slated for late June in Spain, a Japanese government source said Saturday.

Kishida would be the first Japanese leader to join a NATO summit if the plan is realized.

Kishida's attendance at the June 29-30 event is dependent on the domestic political situation leading up to a House of Councillors election likely to be held July 10, the source said.

Source: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/202 ... apan.html

[caltrek]

NATO’s Stoltenberg Says Turkey’s Security Concerns are Legitimate
June 12, 2022

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) Security concerns raised by Turkey in its opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO are legitimate, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a visit to Finland.

Sweden and Finland applied to join the Western military alliance last month, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But they have faced opposition from Turkey, which has accused them of supporting and harbouring Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara deems “terrorists”.

“These are legitimate concerns. This is about terrorism, it’s about weapons exports,” Stoltenberg told a joint news conference on Sunday with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Naantali, Finland.

Stoltenberg said Turkey was a key NATO ally due to its strategic location on the Black Sea between Europe and the Middle East, and he cited the support Ankara has provided to Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.

Read more here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/ ... egitimate

[weatheriscool]

NATO's eastern nations want better protection from alliance
Source: AP

By STEPHEN McGRATH AND NICOLAE DUMITRACHE

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Nine NATO nations on the alliance’s eastern flank held talks Friday in Romania ahead of a key NATO summit later this month, with some leaders urging NATO to step up protections for them in light of Russia’s protracted war against Ukraine.

Friday’s summit in Bucharest provided a platform for NATO’s Eastern members to discuss regional security issues and forge a united voice within the 30-member security alliance. Those attending included Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

“We need to make sure that NATO is able and prepared to respond effectively and calibrated to the threats it faces,” Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told reporters after Friday’s meeting. “The alliance needs to be able to defend every inch of its territory.”

“The result we are pursuing is a consolidated NATO presence on the Eastern Flank, united and coherent, robust, credible and sustainable, especially on the Black Sea — the most exposed to Russia’s threats,” Iohannis added.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... 86393d8892

[weatheriscool]

EU backs Ukraine's membership bid as war brings huge shift
Source: Reuters

BRUSSELS/KYIV, Ukraine, June 17 (Reuters) - The European Union gave its blessing on Friday to Ukraine to become an official candidate to join the bloc, along with its neighbour Moldova, an historic eastward shift in Europe's outlook brought about by Russia's invasion. Ukraine applied to join the EU just four days after Russian troops poured across its border in February. Four days later, so did Moldova and Georgia - two other ex-Soviet states contending with separatist regions occupied by Russian troops.

"Ukraine has clearly demonstrated the country's aspiration and the country's determination to live up to European values and standards," the EU's executive Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels. She made the announcement wearing Ukrainian colours, a yellow blazer over a blue shirt. Leaders of EU countries are expected to endorse the decision at a summit next week. The leaders of the three biggest - Germany, France and Italy - had signalled their solidarity on Thursday by visiting Kyiv, along with the president of Romania.

"Ukraine belongs to the European family," Germany's Olaf Scholz said after meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Commission recommended candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova, but held off for Georgia, which it said must meet more conditions first. Von der Leyen said Georgia has a strong application but had to come together politically. A senior diplomat close to the process cited setbacks in reforms there.

Ukraine and Moldova will still face a lengthy process to achieve the standards required for membership, and there are other candidates in the waiting room. Nor is membership guaranteed - talks have been stalled for years with Turkey, officially a candidate since 1999. But launching the candidacy process, a move that would have seemed unthinkable just months ago, amounts to a shift on par with the decision in the 1990s to welcome the ex-Communist countries of Eastern Europe.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu ... 022-06-17/

[Time_Traveller]

NATO to dramatically increase forces on high alert to over 300,000 from 40,000 amid Russia threat

Monday 27 June 2022



NATO will significantly increase the number of forces on high alert to over 300,000 from 40,000 as part of the biggest overhaul of the alliance's defences since the Cold War.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also confirmed that allies will expand troop deployments in NATO countries that sit closest to Russia.

The decisions will be set out at a landmark summit of the 30-member NATO alliance this week in Madrid, which is taking place in the shadow of Russia's war in Ukraine.

"We will transform the NATO response force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000," Mr Stoltenberg said.

The NATO Response Force is currently around 40,000 soldiers, sailors and air personnel.

https://news.sky.com/story/nato-to-sign ... t-12641191

[caltrek]

NATO and a War Foretold
by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies
June 28, 2022

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) As NATO holds its Summit in Madrid on June 28-30, the war in Ukraine is taking center stage. During a pre-Summit June 22 talk with Politico, NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg bragged about how well-prepared NATO was for this fight because, he said: "This was an invasion that was predicted, foreseen by our intelligence services." Stoltenberg was talking about Western intelligence predictions in the months leading up to the February 24 invasion, when Russia insisted it was not going to attack. Stoltenberg, however, could well have been talking about predictions that went back not just months before the invasion, but decades.

Stoltenberg could have looked all the way back to when the U.S.S.R. was dissolving, and highlighted a 1990 State Department memo warning that creating an "anti-Soviet coalition" of NATO countries along the U.S.S.R's border "would be perceived very negatively by the Soviets."

Stoltenberg could have reflected on the consequences of all the broken promises by Western officials that NATO would not expand eastward. Secretary of State James Baker's famous assurance to Soviet President Gorbachev was just one example. Declassified U.S., Soviet, German, British and French documents posted by the National Security Archive reveal multiple assurances by Western leaders to Gorbachev and other Soviet officials throughout the process of German unification in 1990 and 1991.

The NATO Secretary General could have recalled the 1997 letter by 50 prominent foreign policy experts, calling President Clinton's plans to enlarge NATO a policy error of "historic proportions" that would "unsettle European stability." But Clinton had already made a commitment to invite Poland into the club, reportedly out of concern that saying "no" to Poland would lose him critical Polish-American votes in the Midwest in the 1996 election.

Stoltenberg could have remembered the prediction made by George Kennan, the intellectual father of U.S. containment policy during the Cold War, when NATO moved ahead and incorporated Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary in 1998. In a New York Times interview, Kennan called NATO expansion a "tragic mistake" that marked the beginning of a new Cold War, and warned that the Russians would "gradually react quite adversely."

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/views/202 ... -foretold

caltrek’s comment: I like a lot of what Medea Benjamin says and does, but I think I have changed my mind regarding this argument that NATO expansion provoked Russia. First, the invasion by Russia demonstrates why countries would want and need to join NATO in the first place. Secondly, as one Democratic Senator put it, “Putin was born provoked.”

It is a bit like the argument I actually encountered in the old forum that if Trump wasn’t elected president, that would provoke his followers to violence.

Well, yes, but hardly an argument for voting for Trump.

Sometimes you just have to do the right thing and damn the torpedoes.

[Time_Traveller]

UK calls for extra vigilance on China ahead of Nato summit

Tue 28 Jun 2022

Boris Johnson and his ministers are going into the Nato summit with fresh warnings that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown the need for extra vigilance and caution over potential Chinese action against Taiwan.

Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, who is joining the prime minister at the Nato gathering in Madrid, was most explicit, calling for faster action to help Taiwan with defensive weapons, a key requirement for Ukraine since the invasion.

“There’s always a tendency – and we’ve seen this prior to the Ukraine war – there’s always a tendency of wishful thinking, to hope that more bad things won’t happen and to wait until it’s too late,” Truss told the Commons foreign affairs committee. Her words went well beyond the standard government language on the issue.

“We should have done things earlier, we should have been supplying the defensive weapons into Ukraine earlier. We need to learn that lesson for Taiwan. Every piece of equipment we have sent takes months of training, so the sooner we do it the better.”

Johnson has been more wary about referring to China directly, but in comments on Monday likening the need to support Ukraine with the second world war, he said the impact of allowing a Russian victory would “also be felt in east Asia”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... ato-summit

[Time_Traveller]

Turkey lifts objections to Finland and Sweden’s Nato bid

Tue 28 Jun 2022

A last minute agreement has been reached between Turkey, Finland and Sweden to allow the two Nordic countries to become Nato members on the eve of the military alliance’s summit in Madrid.

Nato said a trilateral deal had been reached at a meeting between Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Sauli Niinistö of Finland and the Swedish prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, in the Spanish capital.

After a period of intensive negotiations, Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, said on Tuesday evening: “I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join Nato.”

“Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey’s concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism,” he added.

Andersson hailed the deal as a “very good agreement”, rejecting claims that she had conceded too much to Erdoğan in order to persuade him to drop his veto.

“Taking the next step toward a full Nato membership is of course important for Sweden and Finland. But it’s also a very important step for Nato, because our countries will be security providers within Nato,” she told Agence France-Presse.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... s-nato-bid

[weatheriscool]

That's great news! Russia is being caged in even more as they've shown themselves to be toothless. Putin has screwed himself.

[Lorem Ipsum]

That's great news! Russia is being caged in even more as they've shown themselves to be toothless. Putin has screwed himself.

They should follow up with China soon

[funkervogt]

No matter how the Ukraine War ends, it won't be worth it for Russia. The expansion of NATO significantly boosts the alliance's strength and opens a huge new hostile border for Russia to worry about.

[Time_Traveller]

Boris Johnson says NATO members will need to 'dig deep' and prepare for a more dangerous decade

Wednesday 29 June 2022

Boris Johnson is expected to tell NATO members to "dig deep" and prepare for a more dangerous decade with increased threats.

The first full day of a NATO summit starts on Wednesday in Madrid, Spain, where allies will discuss the future of NATO, as it seeks to agree on a plan for a new decade of growing threats.

In his address, Boris Johnson will urge member states to invest more to modernise defence, warning this decade will be more dangerous and competitive than the last.

NATO members commit to spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defence, but only nine of the 30-member alliance meet that requirement.

The UK has met that target every year since its inception, and Mr Johnson will say: "The NATO alliance keeps our people safe every day. But over the next 10 years, the threats around us are only going to grow.

"We need allies - all allies - to dig deep to restore deterrence and ensure defence in the decade ahead.

https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnso ... e-12642251

[Time_Traveller]

NATO vows to 'defend every inch' of its territory as it overhauls strategy - and warns Russia to withdraw from Ukraine

Wednesday 29 June 2022

NATO has vowed to "significantly strengthen our deterrence and defence" capabilities as the alliance adopts a "new strategic concept", with a warning to Russia that it must "immediately" withdraw from Ukraine.

Leaders from the 30 members have been meeting in Madrid to discuss the war in Ukraine, support for Kyiv, and how to combat Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They are also looking to overhaul NATO's strategies and boost forces.

Setting out a blueprint for threats and challenges, the alliance promised to "defend every inch" of its territory as it outlined a "deterrence and defence posture" based on a mix of "nuclear, conventional and missile defence capabilities".

Beyond Russia, its newly published Strategic Concept described China as a challenge to "our interests, security, and values" - and said Beijing "strives to subvert the rules-based international order, including in the space, cyber and maritime domains".

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the concept represented "fundamental shifts in our defence" and that it is the "first time since the Cold War" that such plans have been in force.

https://news.sky.com/story/nato-vows-to ... e-12642490

Will WW3 appear it's ugly head soon.

[caltrek]

No surprise here (see below), given the trilateral memorandum signed by Turkey, Finland, and Sweden.

NATO Invites Sweden and Finland to Join Alliance
by Lasse Sørensen
June 29, 2022

Introduction:

(Courthouse News) COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CN) — NATO will start its process of incorporating Sweden and Finland into the military alliance after it officially invited both countries to join, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Madrid on Wednesday.

”Today, NATO leaders took the historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO. The agreement concluded last night by Turkey, Finland and Sweden paved the way for this decision,” Stoltenberg said. “I would like to thank Turkey, Finland and Sweden for accepting my invitation to engage in negotiations to find a united way forward.”

The statement comes less than 24 hours after all three countries signed a trilateral memorandum on Tuesday, leading Turkey to drop its veto, which could have prevented the Nordic countries from joining NATO.

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/nato-in ... alliance/

[Time_Traveller]

Beijing hits out at Nato strategy for ‘malicious attack’ on China

Thu 30 Jun 2022

China has issued a strong rebuke at Nato, calling out what it said was “cold war thinking and ideological bias”, after the western military bloc said Beijing posed “serious challenges” to global stability.

Nato allies agreed for the first time to include challenges and threats posed by China into a strategy blueprint in its latest summit in Madrid this week. The alliance’s previous document, issued in 2010, made no mention of China.

In its new Strategic Concept, Nato said tackling “systemic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to Euro-Atlantic security” and the “deepening strategic partnership” between China and Russia would now be among its main priorities.

Beijing was furious about Nato’s decision. “Who’s challenging global security and undermining world peace? Are there any wars or conflicts over the years where Nato is not involved?” China’s mission to the EU said in a statement on Thursday.

“Nato’s so-called Strategic Concept, filled with cold war thinking and ideological bias, is maliciously attacking and smearing China. We firmly oppose it,” the statement said. “When it comes to acts that undermine China’s interests, we will make firm and strong responses.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... k-on-china

[funkervogt]

This prediction from April was right.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/report-swede ... 15441.html