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WORLD NEWS Thursday 19 May 2022
NATO talks with Finland, Sweden falter but will continue

By LORNE COOK countries submitted their
Associated Press membership requests.
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO The official applications
envoys failed to reach a set a security clock tick-
consensus on Wednesday ing. Russia, whose war on
about whether to start Ukraine spurred them to
membership talks with Fin- join the military organiza-
land and Sweden, dip- tion, has warned that it
lomats said, as Turkey re- wouldn’t welcome such a
newed its objections to the move, and could respond.
two Nordic countries join- “I warmly welcome the
ing. requests by Finland and
The envoys met at NATO Sweden to join NATO. You
headquarters in Brussels af- are our closest partners,”
ter Finland and Sweden’s Stoltenberg said. “All allies
ambassadors submitted agree on the importance
written applications to join of NATO enlargement. We
the military organization, all agree that we must
in a move that marks one stand together, and we all
of the biggest geopoliti- agree that this is an historic
cal ramifications of Russia’s moment which we must
war on Ukraine and which seize.”
could rewrite Europe’s se- Finland’s Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen, left, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg “This is a good day at a crit-
curity map. and Sweden’s Ambassador to NATO Axel Wernhoff attend a ceremony to mark Sweden’s and ical moment for our securi-
The diplomats, who did Finland’s application for membership in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday May 18, 2022. ty,” a beaming Stoltenberg
Associated Press
not want to be named be- said, as he stood alongside
cause of the sensitive na- ment,” he said. Finland and Sweden must ask us to allow you to join the two envoys, with NATO,
ture of the proceedings, NATO officials also refused show more respect for Turk- NATO. NATO is a security Finnish and Swedish flags at
declined to say precisely to provide details. They ish sensitivities about terror- entity. It is a security agen- their backs.
who or what was holding underlined remarks earlier ism. He is refusing to budge cy. Therefore, we cannot Russian President Vladimir
up the procedure. They Wednesday by Secretary- over what he says is their say ‘yes’ to depriving this Putin has demanded that
pointed to the messages General Jens Stoltenberg, alleged support for Kurdish security organization of the alliance stop expand-
from many of the 30 NATO that “we are determined to militants. security,” he said Wednes- ing toward Russia’s bor-
allies welcoming Finland work through all issues and Erdogan accuses the two day, in an address to ruling ders, and several NATO al-
and Sweden’s request. reach a rapid conclusion.” countries of turning a blind party lawmakers. lies, led by the United States
Lithuanian Ambassador Meetings and diplomatic eye to activities of the The day had started off on and Britain, have signaled
Deividas Matulionis told outreach aimed at resolv- banned Kurdistan Workers an upbeat note. Stolten- that they stand ready to
Swedish and Finnish me- ing the problem will con- Party, or PKK, even though berg had said that the mili- provide security support to
dia that the envoys had tinue. the group is on the Europe- tary alliance stands ready Finland and Sweden should
exchanged views about But Turkey is the only ally to an Union’s anti-terror black- to seize a historic moment the Kremlin try to provoke
their national security. “The have clearly voiced its op- list. and move quickly on allow- or destabilize them during
discussion was about that, position. President Recep “You will not hand over ing Finland and Sweden to the time it takes to become
but it is up to Turkey to com- Tayyip Erdogan insists that terrorists to us, but you will join its ranks, after the two full members. q

EU urges members to work together to renew weapons stocks

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- two years to countries will- age EU countries to bolster “Since the euro (currency) without saying it. We’ve
pean Union on Wednesday ing to work in groups of at their air and missile defense crisis in 2008, Europe has reduced our military assets
urged member countries least three to replenish their systems, which have been gone through a kind of between 2008 and 2014 in
to quickly replenish their stocks. Officials declined widely used in Ukraine. silent process of disarma- a very shocking way,” EU
depleted stocks of ammu- to say, for security reasons, The commission also aims ment. We’ve been strip- foreign policy chief Josep
nition and military equip- exactly what kinds of short- to rapidly establish a task ping ourselves of arms Borrell said.q
ment, and offered financial ages nations have. force to work with countries
incentives to those willing The commission is also to establish exactly what
to work together to replace ready to provide incen- their military needs are and
materiel sent to Ukraine. tives to encourage coun- ensure that they are not
Many of the EU’s 27 mem- tries to replace their So- working at cross purposes
bers have sent equipment viet-era stocks of battle when buying equipment
to help Ukrainian troops tanks, heavy artillery and in the short term as they
since Russia invaded on armored vehicles. Some respond to the security cri-
Feb. 24. At first it was mostly have already been supply- sis sparked by the war in
ammunition, but now in- ing these to Ukraine, whose Ukraine. Longer term, it be-
cludes portable missiles troops are trained to use lieves that countries should
to destroy warplanes and them, and want to replace develop more drones and
tanks, as well as heavier the equipment. air-to-air refueling systems,
equipment. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upgrade Europe’s tank and
The EU’s executive branch, has exposed important fighting vehicle armory,
the European Commission, gaps in European military strengthen naval capacity EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks to the press after
is offering a fund of 500 mil- thinking and equipment. and bolster the bloc’s cy- a meeting of EU defence ministers at the European Council
building in Brussels in Brussels, Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
lion euros ($526 million) over Brussels wants to encour- ber defense abilities. Associated Press