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CNN —Ukrainian pilots have started joint training on F-16 fighter jets with US instructors in Ukraine, according to Kyiv. It landed at our airfields, we conducted joint training with F-16 pilots … A day ago two of my pilots were tested by US instructors,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Oleksandr Oleshchuk told Ukrainian state TV on Saturday. An F-16 fighter jet performs at an air show in Houston, the United States, on Oct. 10, 2020. Denmark and the Netherlands have taken the lead in preparing a program to train Ukrainian pilots on the American jet, but the US is still working with other countries to see who may provide F-16s to the Ukrainian Air Force. Denmark said Ukrainian pilots would begin training on F-16 jets later this month, part of a coalition of 11 countries that will be involved in the training program.

Persons: …, Oleksandr Oleshchuk, Oleshchuk, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, ”, Lao Chengyue, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ulf Kristersson, Jonas Ekstromer, Reuters Archer, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Archer, ” Zelensky, Archer, “, Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Air Force, Ukrainian Defense, Getty, NATO, Swedish, TT, Agency, Reuters, Sweden Ukrainian, Archer, Sweden’s, Swedish Archers, Gripen Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Houston, United States, Xinhua, Denmark, Netherlands, Harpsund, Sweden, Swedish

☆ Zelensky Pushes Sweden to Give Ukraine Its Gripen Fighter Jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Vivek Shankar | More About Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With deliveries of the F-16 fighter jet not expected until next year, Ukraine has resumed a push to obtain Swedish Gripen warplanes as it tries to modernize its air force and secure an advantage against Russia in the skies. “We are getting closer to the fact that Gripen fighters will appear in our sky,” President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who traveled to Sweden over the weekend and reached a more tangible agreement on Saturday involving the supply of armored vehicles, said in his overnight address. Ukraine has received Soviet-era jets from Poland and Slovakia, but air superiority in the war remains up for grabs, with neither Kyiv nor Moscow decisively dominating air space since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. And though Ukraine is on track to receive American-made F-16 jets, this won’t happen in time to play a role in its current counteroffensive. Mr. Zelensky cast his talks on the Gripens as a breakthrough and said he would soon share more details.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Ulf Kristersson Organizations: Gripen, Russia, Mr Locations: Ukraine, Sweden, Soviet, Poland, Slovakia, Moscow, Russia

CNN —At least seven people died including a six-year-old girl and 90 others were injured after a Russian missile strike hit a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, Ukrainian officials said. Saturday’s strike – in a city close to the Russian border and far from the frontlines – hit a theater and a university. An emergency service worker stands at the site of a Russian missile strike in Chernihiv. Vladyslav Savenok/ReutersThe aftermath of a Russian missile strike. Vladyslav Savenok/ReutersUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack turned “an ordinary Saturday… into a day of pain and loss.”“A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv.

Persons: Ihor Klymenko, “, Klymenko, Vladyslav Savenok, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Oleksandr Lomako, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner, Zelensky, Ulf Kristersson, King Carl XVI, Queen Silvia, Kristersson, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Internal, Reuters, Kremlin, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Swedish, Gripen, “ Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Chernihiv, Vladyslav, Reuters Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Rostov, Sweden, Zelensky, ”

KYIV/STOCKHOLM, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Sweden on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials as Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its third month. The visit will start at Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, about 120 kilometres from Sweden's capital Stockholm. As Zelenskiy reached Sweden, he said people had been killed and wounded in a Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. Zelenskiy said he would thank Sweden for supporting Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Kristersson will hold a joint press conference at Harpsund in the afternoon.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ulf Kristersson, grinds, Zelenskiy, Pal Jonson, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Olena Zelenska, Kristersson, Dan Peleschuk, Supantha Mukherjee, Simon Johnson, Frances Kerry, Toby Chopra, David Holmes Organizations: Russian, Swedish, Harpsund, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Harpsund, Swedish, Sweden's, Stockholm, Zelenskiy, Russian, Ukrainian, Chernihiv, Ukraine, Stenhammar

☆ Exploding drone boats aren't hard to beat, but Russia's weak defenses are letting Ukraine blow up its ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's recent waterborne drone attacks have shed light on weaknesses in Russian defenses. Prior to the hits on Olenegorsky Gornyak and Sig, previous naval drone attacks have terrorized Russian ships in the Black Sea. United 24/Ukrainian government'Too many to take out'With the drone attacks showing no sign of stopping, the questions become how Russia will respond. And if Russia does ramp up its defenses, it's likely that Ukraine will scale up the number of its drone boats. Operating a group of drone boats, Clark added, is more difficult given water conditions, weather, and the potential to ram into unintended targets.

Persons: Sutton, Gornyak, haven't, they're, Bryan Clark, Ulf Mauder, Clark, Shaposhnikov, Peter the, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV Organizations: Service, Sig, US Navy, Hudson Institute, Russia's, Getty, intel Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Russia, Novorossiysk, Ukraine, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, US, Persian, Israel, Peter the Great, Japan, Vladivostok, AFP, Crimea

☆ Niger coup leaders blamed insecurity; conflict data paints a different picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In Burkina Faso, where there were two coups last year, deaths rose 80% to more than 4,000 in 2022. Military spokespeople in Mali and Burkina Faso did not respond to requests for comment. Military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso kicked out French forces after their coups. Niger army operations could falter, he said. "You saw it in Burkina Faso after the second coup.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, Wagner, Leonardo Santos Simao, Tiani, Simao, Bazoum, Ulf Laessing, Konrad Adenauer, Edward McAllister, Michelle Nichols, Alexandra Zavis, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Security, Islamic, Crisis, Wagner Group, Reuters, spokespeople, United Nations, Economic, West, Sunday, Local, Military, Burkina Faso, European Union, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, DAKAR, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa's, Brussels, Boko, Nigeria, West Africa, West African States, Burkina, French, France, New York

☆ Sweden and Denmark consider ban on Quran-burning protests as security fears rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A spate of Quran-burning protests in Sweden and Denmark has caused angry demonstrations in Muslim-majority countries, heightened security fears at home and left both Scandinavian nations questioning whether they need to review their liberal laws on freedom of speech. But both countries signaled Sunday that they are exploring legal ways to prevent such protests, amid security and geopolitical concerns. While freedom of speech has long been a constitutional right in Sweden and Denmark, the scrapping of blasphemy laws was a more recent development. But neither country tightened their free speech laws in response to these attacks. “Sweden is right now the target of influence campaigns, supported by states and state-like actors, whose purpose is to harm Sweden and Swedish interests,” said Bohlin.

Persons: “, Ulf Kristersson, Denmark “, Salwan Momika, Momika, Ahmad Al, ” Marten Schutlz, ” Sofie Blomback, ”, Bruno Jerup, Chris McGrath, Blomback, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Sweden’s Kristersson, Posten, Prophet Mohammed, Lars Vilks, Mohammed, ” Kristersson, Carl, Oskar Bohlin, ” Bohlin, ” Schulz Organizations: CNN, NATO, of Islamic Cooperation, ”, Danish, Protesters, Getty, Stockholm University, Sweden’s, Appeal, Mid Sweden University, Sweden’s Civil Defense Locations: Sweden, Denmark, Stockholm, Turkey, Danish, Copenhagen, ” Sweden, Iraqi, Sweden's, Baghdad, Iraq, AFP, Swedish, United States, Istanbul, Ukraine, Vilnius, Turkish, Russia

☆ Sweden to present security measures amid Koran burning crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The Swedish government said on Tuesday it would present measures to protect its citizens amid growing concerns in both Sweden and Denmark that the Koran burning crisis could lead to attacks. Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Justice Minister Gunnar Stromer will on Tuesday hold a press conference to discuss the security situation and present "measures to protect Swedish citizens", the government said without providing detail. It also said in a statement after the meeting ended that it called upon member states to take appropriate action, whether political or economic, in countries where the Koran is being desecrated. After the meeting, the Danish and Swedish foreign ministers separately wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that they would continue their dialogue with the OIC. Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Gunnar Stromer, Terje Solsvik, Lincoln Organizations: Nordic, Police Security, Intelligence Service, Monday, DR, of Islamic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Swedish, Sweden, Denmark, Danish

☆ Sweden to boost security controls after Koran burnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Threats to Sweden have increased after recent Koran burnings, the country's government said on Tuesday, adding that it would strengthen border and internal controls and give police wider authority to stop and search people as a result. More Koran burnings took place on Monday and both countries said they were examining ways to legally limit such acts in a bid to de-escalate tensions. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the security situation in Sweden was complex, not least because of its delayed accession to NATO. On Monday, the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened in an extraordinary session to discuss the recent developments and strongly condemned the Koran burnings. "It is not the case that Sweden is adapting itself in the light of other countries' demands on Sweden.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Johan Ahlander, Simon Johnson, Terje Solsvik, Lincoln, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Nordic, NATO, of Islamic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Denmark, Swedish, Stockholm, Oslo

STOCKHOLM, July 27 (Reuters) - Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is "extremely worried" about the consequences if more demonstrations go ahead in which the Koran is desecrated, he said on Thursday, amid growing Muslim anger at a series of attacks on Islam's holy book. Kristersson told Swedish news agency TT that further requests had been filed with police for permission to hold protests where desecration of the Koran was again planned. Sweden's embassy in Baghdad was stormed and set ablaze on July 20 by protesters angered by a planned Koran burning. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson addresses the media ahead of a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 11, 2023. Members of Sweden Democrats, the biggest party on the right, have repeatedly warned about the "Islamization" of Swedish society and called for immigrants to adopt "Swedish" values.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Charlotte von Essen, Ints, Tobias Billstrom, Billstrom, Johan Ahlander, Simon Johnson, Terje Solsvik, William Maclean Organizations: Atlantic Treaty Organization, TT, Swedish, NATO, REUTERS, United Nations, of Islamic, Sweden Democrats, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Swedish, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine, Sweden's, Baghdad, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon

☆ Sweden says it's target of Russia-backed disinformation over NATO, Koran burnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Police stand guard near the Iraqi embassy ahead of a demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden July 20, 2023. "We can see how Russia-backed actors are amplifying incorrect statements such as that the Swedish state is behind the desecration of holy scriptures," he said. "That is, naturally, completely false," Bohlin said, adding that such state actors tried to "create division and weaken Sweden's international standing." "The Swedish state does not issue permissions to burn copies of the Koran. Denmark and Sweden have said they deplore the burning of the Koran but cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech.

Persons: Supantha Mukherjee, Sweden's, Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Bohlin, Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Mikael Ostlund, Susanna Trehorning, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Anne Kauranen, William Maclean Organizations: Police, REUTERS, NATO, Civil Defence, Facebook, Psychological Defence Agency, SVT, Thomson Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, STOCKHOLM, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Swedish, Denmark, Baghdad, Turkey, Helsinki

But Shautsou’s statement was the first time the Belarus Red Cross has admitted taking part in the deportations. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Red Cross umbrella organization, expressed “grave concern” and called for the practice to stop. Dzmitry Shautsou, the Secretary General of the Belarusian Red Cross, pictured near the Polish border. “We have contacted the Belarus Red Cross to express our grave concern and to stop any similar activity in the future,” the statement said, adding that “actions by any of our member national Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies in contradiction with our humanitarian mission” are “taken extremely seriously.”The Ukrainian branch of the Red Cross has called for the IFRC to denounce the Belarus Red Cross’ involvement in the deportations. “We implore them to carefully consider the matter of excluding the Belarus Red Cross from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,” the group said in a statement.

Persons: Dzmitry Shautsou, ” Shautsou, Ulf Mauder, Shautsou, ”, “, Dmytro Kuleba, Vladimir Putin, Rights Maria Lvova, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Cross, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Criminal Court, Belarus “, TV, Red Crescent Movement, Crescent, ICC, Twitter, Russian, Rights, Ukraine Russia, Crisis Management Group Locations: Belarusian, Belarus, Ukraine, Republic of Belarus, Russia, Rome, Polish, Severodonetsk

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said staff at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad were safe but Iraqi authorities had failed in their responsibility to protect the embassy. Thursday's demonstration was called by supporters of Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to protest at the second planned Koran burning in Sweden in weeks, according to posts in a Telegram group linked to the influential cleric and other pro-Sadr media. He stood by the embassy storming on Thursday, telling a press conference the U.S. "has no right to condemn the burning of the Swedish embassy but should have condemned the burning of the Koran". "Yes, yes to the Koran," protesters chanted. Sweden has seen several Koran burnings in recent years, mostly by far-right and anti-Muslim activists.

Persons: Tobias Billstrom, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mohammed Shia Al, Billstrom, Muqtada al, Moqtada al, Read, Tayyip Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, Timour Azhari, Anna Ringstrom, Supantha Mukherjee, Johan Ahlander, Marie, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Ahmed Rasheed, Tom Hogue, Tom Perry, Lincoln, Bernadette Baum, William Maclean, Alison Williams, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: NATO, Sweden's Ericsson, State Department, Telegram, Turkish, Sweden's, Islam, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: Iraq, BAGHDAD, STOCKHOLM, Swedish, Stockholm, Baghdad, Iraqi, Sweden, Tehran, Turkey, Washington, Sadr, Copenhagen

Helsinki, Finland CNN —More than 500 days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the war loomed over President Joe Biden’s weeklong, three-stop trip to Europe. Drama over Ukraine’s membershipUkraine was the top agenda item for NATO leaders in Vilnius, and the discussion of a pathway for the war-torn country to join the alliance prompted division among leaders. After meeting with Zelensky for more than an hour, Biden told reporters that he was able to reassure his Ukrainian counterpart. The former president raised the prospect of withdrawing from the alliance multiple times in 2018, The New York Times reported. I don’t think NATO’s ever been stronger,” Biden said during his meeting with Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö

Persons: Finland CNN —, Joe Biden’s weeklong, reasserting, Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Ulf Kristersson, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Monday, Erdoğan, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Donald Trump’s, Trump’s, –, ” Biden, Trump, Rishi Sunak, King Charles III, Putin, “, Stoltenberg, Wang Wenbin, Biden “, “ I’ve, Sauli Niinistö Organizations: Finland CNN, Russia, NATO, Zelensky, Vilnius University, Nordic, Senate, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Ministry, Microsoft, House, Lithuania, State, Government Locations: Helsinki, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Washington, Turkey, Sweden, Ankara, Vilnius, London, Finnish, China, Beijing, Asia, Indonesia, Hiroshima

☆ NATO Summit 2023: Biden and alliance leaders enter summit with a show of force
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Betsy Klein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Vilnius, Lithuania CNN —President Joe Biden and alliance leaders enter the first day of the high-stakes NATO Summit Tuesday with a reinvigorated sense of unity after a major win on Monday evening when Turkey agreed to Sweden’s bid to join the alliance. Biden and other members have touted unprecedented unity among the alliance in the face of Russia’s war, and the move also provides leaders a significant show of force going into the summit. “We’re coming into this consequential summit with a full head of steam,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Vilnius Tuesday morning. “When the NATO summit gets underway, our alliance will not only be bigger and stronger than ever, it will be more united, more purposeful, and more energized than at any point in modern memory. He pointed to questions about unity in the past week as he warned that the Vilnius summit will “very much disappoint” Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Persons: Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin’s, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Biden, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s, ”, Sullivan, Ulf Kristersson, Antony Blinken, Vladimir Putin, ” Sullivan, “, ’ Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Dmytro Kuleba, Kuleba, ” Biden, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Zakaria, Rishi Sunak, Gitanas Nausėda, Jens Stoltenberg, Erdoğan, Sunak, King Charles III Organizations: Lithuania CNN, NATO, Biden, Swedish, White, Transatlantic Alliance, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Ukraine, US, United, Prime, Oslo Convention, Lithuania, Windsor Castle Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Turkey, Russia, Sweden, Lithuanian, Turkish, Hungary, Ukraine, Oslo, United States, Windsor

☆ Analysis: President Joe Biden just secured a big win from his Europe trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —President Joe Biden has already secured a powerful deliverable from his Europe trip – one that will weaken Russia’s strategic position in another detrimental consequence of its invasion of Ukraine. Once Sweden finally joins NATO, it will bolster Biden’s reputation as a US leader who reinvigorated and expanded the bloc. Biden had said before leaving the US that Ukraine was not ready to join. Erdogan’s move was also a severe blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “This really isn’t about Sweden, this is about the United States and Turkey and Turkey’s role,” she told Jake Tapper.

Persons: Joe Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland –, Ukraine –, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Biden, Erdogan’s, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Erdogan –, –, Russia’s, Erdogan, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Jake Sullivan, Ulf Kristersson, “, ” Sullivan, Chuck Schumer, ”, Stoltenberg, Sen, Bob Menendez, Menendez, National Intelligence Beth Sanner, Jake Tapper, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, NATO, European Union, Kremlin, West, East, NATO “, Swedish, New, New York Democrat, America, EU, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Senate Foreign Relations, The New, The New Jersey Democrat, “, National Intelligence Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Lithuania, Sweden, Turkey, Finland, George H.W ., Germany, Russia, United States, Washington, Syria, Madrid, Vilnius, ”, New York, Ankara, Eurasia, Turkish, Stockholm, Greece, The, The New Jersey, “ Turkey, Mariupol

☆ Reactions to Turkey backing Sweden's NATO entry
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Erdogan agreed to forward the membership bid to parliament, appearing to end months of drama over an issue that had strained the bloc. STATEMENT FOLLOWING TURKEY-SWEDEN-NATO MEETING"Both Türkiye and Sweden will look to maximise opportunities to increase bilateral trade and investments. U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN"I welcome the statement issued by Türkiye, Sweden and the NATO Secretary General this evening," he said in a statement. GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER ANNALENA BAERBOCK"Good news from Vilnius: the path is finally clear for Turkey's ratification of Sweden's #NATO membership. FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER CATHERINE COLONNA"I welcome Turkey's announcement of its intention to ratify Sweden's adhesion protocol to NATO and I hope that it happens quickly.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, GENERAL JENS STOLTENBERG, I'm, ULF KRISTERSSON, JOE BIDEN, ANNALENA BAERBOCK, JOSEP BORRELL, RISHI SUNAK, CATHERINE COLONNA, Costas Pitas, Maria Martinez, John Irish, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NATO, GENERAL, EU, Türkiye Customs, U.S, Türkiye, Twitter, Alliance, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, NATO, Sweden, TURKEY, SWEDEN, Türkiye's, Vilnius, EU, Europe

While NATO members agree Kyiv cannot join during the war, they have disagreed over how quickly it could happen afterwards and under what conditions. Negotiations have also focused on what conditions Ukraine would have to meet to join NATO and how its progress should be tracked, diplomats say. "I am absolutely certain that we will have unity and a strong message on Ukraine," Stoltenberg told reporters. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year prompted Nordic neighbours Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of military non-alignment and apply to join NATO. Sweden, backed by Stoltenberg and many NATO members, said it had kept all its undertakings to Turkey on the issue.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, General Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Maria Zakharova, Tayyip Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, Erdogan, Kristersson, Ronald Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: NATO, Diplomats, Alliance, Twitter, Russian Foreign, Nordic, Kurdistan Workers Party, EU, European Union, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Vilnius, Sweden, Lithuanian, Ukraine, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Russia, United States, Germany, NATO, Finland, Turkey, Ankara, Swedish

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, abandoning their policies of military non-alignment that had lasted through the decades of the Cold War in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While Finland's NATO membership was green-lighted in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden's bid. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson react during a meeting, on the eve of a NATO summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania July 10, 2023. "This has been a good day for Sweden," Kristersson told reporters, saying the joint statement on Monday represented "a very big step" toward the final ratification of Sweden's membership of NATO. After Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said on Thursday that Budapest would now no longer block Sweden's NATO membership ratification, Turkish approval would remove the last hurdle for Swedish accession to NATO, applications for which must be approved by all members.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Sweden's, Erdogan, Jens Stoltenberg, Ulf Kristersson, Yves Herman / Pool Erdogan, Kristersson, Monday, Stoltenberg, Viktor Orban's, Joe Biden, Niklas Pollard, Andrius, Anna Ringstrom, Johan Ahlander, Ezgi, John Irish, William Maclean, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NATO, Kurdistan Workers Party, EU, REUTERS, European Union, Finland's, Hungarian, Lockheed Martin Corp, Pawlak, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Ukraine, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Hungary, Stockholm, Lithuanian, Vilnius, Swedish, Madrid, Ankara, United States, Lithuania, Turkey's, European, Budapest, Washington, Istanbul

☆ Erdogan says Turkey could approve Sweden’s NATO membership if Europeans ‘open way’ to EU membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday introduced a new condition for approving Sweden's membership in NATO, calling on European countries to "open the way" for Turkey to join the European Union. It was the first time that Erdogan linked his country's ambition to join the EU with Sweden's efforts to become a NATO member. The White House readout of the Biden-Erdogan call did not mention the issue of Turkish membership in the EU. Sullivan didn't mention the EU membership issue. Previously non-aligned Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Joe Biden, Stoltenberg, Dana Spinant, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Sullivan, Vilnius —, Paul Levin, Levin, Tobias Billström, Billström Organizations: Swedish, NATO, Monday, European Union, U.S, EU, Biden, Institute for Turkish Studies, Stockholm University, SVT, Kurdistan Workers ' Party Locations: Vilnius, VILNIUS, Lithuania, Turkey, Lithuania's, Sweden, Ankara, Istanbul, Finland, Swedish, NATO, Madrid, Cyprus, Stockholm, Sweden's, United States, Turkish, Kurdistan, Hungary, Ukraine

Turkey, along with Hungary, has been a stumbling block to Sweden's bid, which requires unanimous approval by all NATO members. Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would convene a meeting between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday. While Finland's NATO membership was green-lighted in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden's bid. During their call, Biden and Erdogan also discussed the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, and Ukraine's aim to join NATO, according to the Turkish presidency's readout.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Ulf Kristersson, Ezgi Erkoyun, Kanishka Singh, Hugh Lawson, Peter Graff, Leslie Adler Organizations: NATO, Kurdistan Workers Party, White, Monday, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, WASHINGTON, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, Stockholm, Ankara, Turkish, Vilnius, Lithuania, Swedish, Finland, Ukraine

☆ What Biden needs to accomplish with his NATO trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Betsy Klein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

London CNN —President Joe Biden embarks on a weeklong trip to Europe on Sunday, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for the future of the NATO alliance. Biden makes a stop in London ahead of his attendance at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, followed by meetings with Nordic leaders in Helsinki, Finland. But Biden will be a key player in determining what specific, measurable criteria or timelines, if any, are offered to Ukraine for NATO membership during this summit. Sweden’s NATO membership is “within reach,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a news briefing following a meeting of senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland Thursday. And I’m really looking – anxiously looking forward for your membership,” Biden told Kristersson during a meeting in the Oval Office.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, month’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Vladimir Putin’s, ”, Chris Skaluba, Michael McCaul, Jake Sullivan, “, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Zelensky, Sweden’s, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Ulf Kristersson, ” Biden, Kristersson, –, it’s, Max Bergmann, Bergmann, China’s “, Sullivan, King Charles III, Jill Biden, Finnegan Biden, Rishi Sunak Organizations: London CNN, NATO, Nordic, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Strategy, Security, Foreign, US House Foreign, CNN, Wall Street, Turkish, White, Eurasia Program, Stuart Center, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Europe, London, Vilnius, Lithuania, Helsinki, Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Belarusian, Bucharest, Romania, Eastern Europe, Sweden, Turkey, NATO’s, Madrid, Vilnius “, United Kingdom, Windsor, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, China

U.S. President Joe Biden, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be among the 31 NATO leaders attending the summit in the small Baltic state. The invasion prompted Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of military non-alignment and apply to join NATO. In Vilnius, Finland will attend its first NATO summit as a member. At the summit, the NATO leaders are also expected to agree they should all spend at least 2% of national GDP on defence - an upgrade on a 2014 pledge to move towards that number. The NATO leaders will also meet with counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand as Washington presses the alliance to play a greater role in countering China.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tayyip Erdogan, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, John Irish, Andrius Sytas, Huseyin Hayatsever, William Maclean Organizations: Russia VILNIUS, NATO, Patriot, U.S, British, Ukraine Council, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Soviet Union, Vilnius, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, Sweden, Europe, Lithuanian, Germany, Prague, Eastern Europe, Russia, United States, Bucharest, France, Britain, TURKEY, SWEDEN, Soviet, Finland, Turkey, Stockholm, Ankara, Swedish, Greece, Cyprus, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Washington, China, Istanbul

☆ Swedish PM says Vilnius summit natural time for NATO bid finale
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson meet in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 5, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstJuly 5 (Reuters) - Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday after meeting U.S. President Joe Biden that the two leaders agreed that the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius was a "natural time" to finalise the Nordic country's bid to join the alliance. "We both realize that the NATO summit in Vilnius in a week is a very natural time to finish this. But we both also know that only Turkey can make Turkish decisions," Kristersson told reporters at the Swedish embassy in Washington. Kristersson met President Biden in Washington to reaffirm U.S. backing for Sweden's NATO application, which is being held up by Turkey and Hungary.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ulf Kristersson, Jonathan Ernst, Kristersson, Biden, Johan Ahlander, Niklas Pollard Organizations: Swedish, White, REUTERS, NATO, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Swedish, Vilnius, Turkey, Washington, Hungary, Stockholm

☆ Biden Backed NATO Expansion, but It Won’t Be Easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden welcomed Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden at the White House today to emphasize America’s support for the Nordic nation’s swift acceptance into NATO. Sweden’s entry into NATO would be a significant blow to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who has sought to halt the alliance’s expansion. But as the alliance prepares for a show of unity at a summit in Lithuania next week, the only major barrier is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, a NATO ally. He has been able to block Sweden because acceptance requires unanimous consent. The U.S. has tried to placate the Turkish leader, including by supporting the sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, but Erdogan hasn’t budged.

Persons: Biden, Ulf Kristersson, Vladimir Putin of, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of, Erdogan hasn’t budged Organizations: NATO Locations: Sweden, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, NATO, Turkey, U.S, Stockholm

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