The Dispatch - The Dispatch - CDeNews

Putin appears to back off threats as Nordics prepare to join NATO

Vladimir Putin appeared to climb down on Monday from Russia's objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, saying Moscow had no issues with them entering the U.S.-led military alliance they now aim…

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UPDATED: Putin warns Finland and Sweden any military expansion ‘would demand a reaction’

Vladimir Putin said Russia had no issue with Finland and Sweden, but that the expansion of military infrastructure on their territory would demand a reaction from Moscow, as the Nordic…

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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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Sweden, Finland NATO membership would increase Baltic security – Estonia

BERLIN, May 16 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland joining NATO would increase the security of the Baltic region, Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said. "When we see that in our neighbourhood also other democratic…

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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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Putin tells Finland that swapping neutrality for NATO is a mistake

May 14 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto on Saturday that ditching neutrality and joining NATO would be a mistake that could damage relations between their…

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EXCLUSIVE-Turkey ‘not closing door’ to Sweden, Finland NATO entry, Erdogan advisor says

ISTANBUL, May 14 (Reuters) - Turkey has not shut the door to Sweden and Finland joining NATO but wants negotiations with the Nordic countries and a clampdown on what it sees as…

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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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Erdogan says Turkey not positive on Finland, Sweden joining NATO

ANKARA, May 13 (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…

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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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Kremlin says Finland joining NATO is definite threat to Russia

LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Thursday that Finland's move to join NATO was "definitely" a threat to Russia and that the expansion of the military bloc would not…

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Russia warns West over risk of conflict with NATO

LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - One of President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned the West on Thursday that the increasing military support given to Ukraine by the United States and its allies…

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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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Canada would be supportive of Sweden and Finland joining NATO -PM Trudeau

Canada would support including Sweden and Finland in the NATO military alliance, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted both countries to consider joining. "Conversations…

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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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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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Finland suspends train connections to Russia

HELSINKI, March 25 (Reuters) - Finland's national railway operator will suspend services between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg in Russia on Monday, closing one of the last public transport routes to the European Union…

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Sweden and Finland to further strengthen security cooperation

Sweden and Finland will further strengthen their security cooperation in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the prime ministers of both countries said on Saturday, but they were non-committal on…

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Biden, Niinisto forge deeper ties as Finnish support for NATO grows

WASHINGTON/HELSINKI, March 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to deepen security ties with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto on Friday, but stopped short of making any formal guarantees to the…

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Finns warm to NATO in alarmed reaction to Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is causing a rapidly growing number of Finns to support membership of NATO, suggesting the country's delicate balancing act between the Kremlin and the U.S.-led military…

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In policy shift, Finland approves field guns export by Estonia to Ukraine

HELSINKI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Finland is to allow neighbouring Estonia to export to Ukraine Soviet-origin howitzer field guns, which were previously sold to Estonia by Finland but could not legally be…

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Finland to offset high energy prices with subsidies, tax cuts

HELSINKI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The Finnish government plans to offset high energy prices with subsidies and tax cuts, Finance Minister Annika Saarikko said on Friday. Saarikko presented a list of 17 measures…

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UPDATED: Finland signs deal to buy 64 U.S.-built stealth jets

HELSINKI/WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Finland signed a $9.4 billion agreement on Friday to buy U.S. F-35 fighter jets, reaching a deal to bring 64 radar-evading warplanes to a country…

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EU working on joint response to Russian letter -von der Leyen

HELSINKI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The European Union is working on a joint response to a letter many of its member countries received from Russia earlier this week asking for…

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Finland moves up planned easing of COVID restrictions

Finland will begin gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions from Feb. 1 instead of mid-February as initially planned as the burden on its hospitals eases, the government said late on Thursday. On…

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Finland’s opposition come first, nationalists hammered in midterm regional vote

HELSINKI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Finland's main opposition party, the centre-right National Coalition, outperformed the ruling centre-left coalition in a midterm regional election, while the nationalist Finns Party took a…

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Finland’s PM says NATO membership is “very unlikely” on her watch

Finland does not plan to join NATO in the near future but is ready to stand with its European allies and United States by imposing tough sanctions on Russia if…

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Photo Story: Monday morning in Helsinki

A man walks in a snowstorm in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday 17 January 2022. Via EPA-EFE/KIMMO BRANDT

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Finland cuts quarantine length to five days

HELSINKI, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Finland cut the length of its COVID quarantine from 10 days to five for most cases, its public health authority said on Thursday. It will…

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Finland hit by surging coronavirus infections

Surging coronavirus infections are forcing local authorities in Finland to stray from the government's COVID-19 strategy based on mass testing, tracking and isolation. Helsinki and neighbouring cities recommend that people…

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Finland’s PM under fire for clubbing after Covid contact

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin has apologised for going clubbing after coming into close contact with a Covid-19 case. Sanna Marin went on a night out in Helsinki on Saturday,…

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Finland plans to let workers see colleagues’ salaries to close gender pay gap

HELSINKI, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The Finnish government is planning a new law allowing workers to check what their colleagues are earning if they suspect they are being discriminated against,…

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Wake up and smell the ‘sustainable’ coffee produced in Finnish lab

With climate change threatening traditional coffee farming, Finnish scientists say they have produced coffee from cell cultures with an aroma and taste resembling the real thing. The VTT Technical Research…

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EU must be ready to send aid to Brexit Britain, says former PM of Finland

The European Union must stand ready to send aid to Britain when it is crippled by food and supplies shortages because of Brexit, the former prime minister of Finland has…

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UPDATED: Finland joins Sweden and Denmark in limiting Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

Finland on Thursday paused the use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for younger males due to reports of a rare cardiovascular side effect, joining Sweden and Denmark in limiting its use.…

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Finland begins vaccinating mink

Finland will begin vaccinating minks on fur farms against Covid after the authorities granted temporary approval for an experimental vaccine. The conditional usage permit “is valid until the end of…

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Finland hits record daily coronavirus infections

Finland on Thursday registered a record number of new coronavirus infections in the space of a day, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, the Finnish Institute for Health and…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Parainen archipelago, Finland

A view of the Parainen archipelago in Finland. Finland's archipelago has more than 180,000 islands running along much of the coastline, making the region an island-hopper's dream. The sizes vary…

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