Finland

UPDATED: Finland’s border guard says traffic on border with Russia increasing

HELSINKI, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Traffic arriving at Finland's eastern border with Russia has "intensified" during the night, the Finnish Border Guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the…

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Finland cuts 2023 GDP growth forecast, sees risk of recession

HELSINKI, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Finland's finance ministry on Monday cut its economic growth forecast for 2023 and said the country was at risk of a recession. The ministry now…

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Europe needs strategic autonomy in energy, food, defence and technology – Finnish PM

Addressing MEPs in Strasbourg as part of the “This is Europe” debate series, Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin said that Ukrainians have proven their bravery and endurance and they…

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Sweden, Finland step in to avert Lehman-like situation for power companies

STOCKHOLM/HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden announced plans to offer billions of dollars in liquidity guarantees to power companies in their countries after Russia's Gazprom shut the Nord Stream 1…

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Finland detects small amount of radioactivity

OSLO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Small amounts of radioactive isotopes have been detected in air samples collected in Kotka in south-east Finland, but there is no risk to humans and…

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Finland to close main highway for fighter jet landing drill

HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Finland will close down a stretch of one of its main highways for a week in September to allow its Air Force to practise takeoffs and landings…

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Turkey, Finland and Sweden officials meet to discuss Turkish concerns

HELSINKI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Officials from Turkey, Finland and Sweden were expected to meet at an undisclosed location in Finland on Friday to discuss security concerns which Turkey raised…

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Finnish PM Sanna Marin: I am human, and I too sometimes long for joy, light and fun amidst these dark clouds

Finland's prime minister on Wednesday gave a forceful defence of her work record and her right to a private life after being swept up into a political scandal surrounding her…

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Finnish PM takes drugs test after party video causes stir

HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Friday she had taken a drugs test following the publication of video footage this week that showed her partying with friends,…

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UPDATED: Second video of Finnish PM Sanna Marin partying emerges

A new video has emerged in Finland that portrays Prime Minister Sanna Marin dancing in the private room of a Helsinki club. The episode should date back to August 6,…

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Russian jets suspected of violating Finnish airspace

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Two Russian MiG-31 fighter jets are suspected of violating Finnish airspace on Thursday near the coastal city of Porvoo on the Gulf of Finland, the Finnish defence…

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Finland limits visas to Russians

HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Finland will slash the number of visas issued to Russians from Sept. 1, the Finnish foreign ministry said in a statement, amid a rush of Russian tourists…

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Finland scraps equal pay legislation amid coalition differences

Finland has cancelled plans to overhaul equality legislation aimed at narrowing the pay gap between men and women, the government said in a statement on Monday, citing unbridgeable gaps between parties…

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Biden to sign documents backing Sweden, Finland for NATO

U.S. President Joe Biden was due on Tuesday to sign documents endorsing Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, the most significant expansion of the military alliance since the 1990s as it responds to Russia's invasion…

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U.S. Senate backs Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Italy’s parliament gives final approval

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate approved Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, the most significant expansion of the 30-member alliance since the 1990s as it responds to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.…

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Italy’s lower house backs NATO membership for Finland and Sweden

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Chamber of Deputies approved a bill on Tuesday to ratify the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO in a vote welcomed by Giorgia Meloni, whose…

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Medvedev vows response for Finland joining NATO

DPA - The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO will be met with a military response, according to former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. If the two countries host NATO…

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British troops in ‘high-readiness exercise’ with Finnish and US forces

British troops have taken part in a joint "high-readiness exercise" alongside Finnish forces, as Finland moves closer to joining NATO. About 150 British Army and Royal Air force personnel joined…

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Finland passes laws to strengthen security on Russian border

HELSINKI, July 7 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Thursday voted in favour of legislation that would allow barriers on the country's border with Russia and enable the closure of the…

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Finland, Sweden sign to join NATO but need ratification

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -NATO's 30 allies signed an accession protocol for Finland and Sweden on Tuesday, allowing them to join the nuclear-armed alliance once parliaments ratify the decision, the most significant…

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Finland, Sweden will ‘eventually’ join NATO, says Spain’s PM

Sweden and Finland will eventually become part of NATO, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday alongside the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hours before a NATO summit was…

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Finland is ready to fight Russia if attacked – defence chief

HELSINKI, June 22 (Reuters) - Finland has prepared for decades for a Russian attack and would put up stiff resistance should one occur, its armed forces chief said. The Nordic country has…

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No signs of Russian threat to Sweden, Finland -NATO deputy chief

COPENHAGEN, June 10 (Reuters) - NATO's deputy chief sees no immediate military threat to Sweden and Finland from Russia and is confident that the aspiring NATO members will join the alliance despite Turkey's objections, he…

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No need seen to add U.S. ground forces in Sweden, Finland

Sweden and Finland’s push to join NATO won’t require adding more U.S. ground forces into either country, the U.S. general nominated to take over European Command told senators. But Army…

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Turkey’s Erdogan to speak to Finland as NATO application row simmers

ISTANBUL, (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he will speak to Finland on Saturday, while maintaining his opposition to Finnish and Swedish NATO membership bids over their history of hosting members of groups…

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Russia to halt gas flows to Finland on Saturday

HELSINKI, May 20 (Reuters) - Russia's Gazprom has informed Finland it will halt flows of natural gas from Saturday morning, Gasum said on Friday, after the Finnish state-owned gas wholesaler refused to…

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NATO beer goes on sale in Finland

Finnish brewery Olaf Brewing introduced their OTAN beer into the market, a beer released to cheer Finland's historic decision to join the NATO, or OTAN as the defence alliance is…

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Turkey has told allies it’s a ‘no’ to Sweden and Finland’s NATO bid – Erdogan

Turkey has told allies that it will reject Sweden and Finland's membership to NATO, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a video posted on his Twitter account on Thursday. Finland and…

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No nuclear arms or NATO bases on Finland’s soil, PM tells paper

Finland does not want NATO to deploy nuclear weapons or set up military bases on its territory even if Finland becomes a member, the Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told…

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UPDATED: Turkeys Erdogan links Sweden NATO bid to return of “terrorists”

ANKARA, May 18 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Sweden should not expect Turkey to approve its NATO bid without returning "terrorists", and Swedish and Finnish delegations should not come to…

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Senate Republican leader says U.S. could ratify Finnish NATO membership before August

HELSINKI, May 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress will seek to ratify Finland's application to join the Western military alliance NATO before going on holiday in August, U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch…

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UPDATED: Finnish president confirms his country will apply to join NATO

HELSINKI, May 15 (Reuters) - Finland's President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership of the NATO military alliance. The announcement came after Niinisto and Prime Minister…

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Russian fighter jets take part in Baltic Sea drills as support grows for Finnish and Swedish NATO membership

Russian Su-27 fighter jets have taken part in drills to repel a mock air strike on Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Baltic Sea fleet.…

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Foreign ministers of Finland, Turkey, to meet over NATO tensions, Haavisto says

BERLIN, May 14 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Finland and Turkey will meet in Berlin later on Saturday to try and solve disagreements over Finland's and Sweden's plan to join NATO,…

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Italy strongly backs Finland-Sweden bid to join NATO

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 13 - Italy strongly backs Finland and Sweden's bid to join NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Friday. "We…

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Moscow will respond if NATO moves nuclear forces closer to Russia’s border – RIA

May 14 (Reuters) - Moscow will take adequate precautionary measures if NATO deploys nuclear forces and infrastructure closer to Russia's border, RIA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as saying…

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FACTBOX-A brief history of Finland’s and Sweden’s strained ties with Russia

HELSINKI/STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden, who are expected to decide to apply to join NATO, have long had strained ties with their giant neighbour Russia. - Sweden's and Finland's difficult past with…

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A look at Finland and Sweden’s path to NATO membership

HELSINKI/STOCKHOLM, May 12 (Reuters) - Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden have been considering applying for membership of the NATO military alliance, which would mark a major policy shift for…

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Factbox: Probable steps in any Finnish, Swedish NATO bid

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto is expected on Thursday to say whether his country should join the NATO alliance, with Sweden following suit with its decision in the coming days. Russia's…

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UPDATED: Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay, Finnish President and PM say

HELSINKI, May 12 (Reuters) - Finland must apply to join the NATO military alliance "without delay", Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday, a major policy shift…

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UK strikes new security agreement with Sweden and Finland

LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said he had agreed new deals with Sweden and Finland to bolster European security, pledging to support both countries' armed…

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UPDATED: Finnish PM says NATO decision will focus on safety of citizens

TOKYO, May 11 (Reuters) - Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday that if her nation takes the historic step of applying to join the NATO military alliance, it would be…

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U.S. offers assurances to Sweden, Finland over NATO application

The United States is confident it can address any security concerns Sweden and Finland may have about the period of time after they apply for NATO membership and before they…

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Russian army helicopter violated Finland’s airspace

A Russian army helicopter violated Finland’s airspace on Wednesday, the Finnish defence ministry said, as the country mulls a potential Nato membership bid. “The aircraft type is a Mi-17 helicopter…

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Finland, Sweden could deepen military cooperation if situation worsens

Sweden and Finland could deepen military cooperation if security in the Baltic Sea region worsens, for example during the process of a possible application to join NATO, Finland's foreign minister…

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Finland and Sweden could join NATO quickly, Stoltenberg says

Finland and Sweden will be able to join NATO quickly should they decide to ask for membership in the Western military alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday (April…

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Finland, Sweden to begin NATO application in May, say local media reports

Finland and Sweden will together express their wish to join NATO in May, tabloid newspapers Iltalehti in Finland and Expressen in Sweden reported, citing sources close to the matter. Despite…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Malmi airport, Helsinki, Finland

An aerial view taken with a drone shows a skating rink of the decommissioned Malmi airport in Helsinki, Finland. In early February, the City of Helsinki announced that Malmi's former…

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Finland’s Europe minister says ‘highly likely’ Finland will join NATO

Tytti Tuppurainen is Finland’s minister for European affairs, in an interview on Sky News in the UK about Finland’s prospect for joining Nato, said it is 'highly likely' Finland will…

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UPDATED: Finland says needs to prepare for changes on Russia border

HELSINKI, April 13 (Reuters) - Finland should prepare for possible changes on its Russia border, although the military situation there currently remains calm, Defence Minister Atti Kaikkonen said on Wednesday. Russia's invasion…

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Finland, Sweden set to join NATO as soon as summer – reports

Russia has made a "massive strategic blunder" as Finland and Sweden look poised to join NATO as early as the summer, the British press has reported on Monday, citing officials. London-based The Times said…

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Finland hit by cyberattack and Russian air violation

Finnish government websites suffered hacking attacks on Friday, the government said, at the same time as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was giving a video address to Finland's parliament. The ministries…

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Prospect of Finland, Sweden joining NATO discussed at NATO meeting -U.S. official

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - The prospect of Finland and Sweden joining NATO was part of the discussion between foreign ministers from the military alliance in Brussels this week, a senior U.S. State Department…

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Finland to invest 850 million euros to speed up Russian energy exit

HELSINKI, April 7 (Reuters) - Finland will invest up to 850 million euros ($924 million) in ensuring it meets its energy needs and to speed up breaking away from dependence on Russian…

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NATO chief says Finland, Sweden welcome to apply to join

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…

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Neutral Sweden, Finland join NATO drills as countries consider membership

The sound of gunfire echoed around the Norwegian fjords as a row of Swedish and Finnish soldiers, positioned prone behind banks of snow, trained rifles and missile launchers on nearby…

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Denmark would support potential Finnish NATO bid

COPENHAGEN, March 30 (Reuters) - Denmark would fully support Finnish NATO membership if the country were to apply, its prime minister said on Wednesday. "If or when Finland would choose to seek…

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