PEKKA HAAVISTO

Finland’s Parliament has passed amended legislation on border security that allows for the closure of crossing points with Russia.

The 30 NATO allies have signed off on the protocols needed for Sweden and Finland to become members.

When the leaders of Finland, Sweden and Turkey met with NATO’s chief this week, some remained pessimistic the meeting would lessen Turkey’s objections to the Nordic pair’s historic request to join NATO.

Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders’ summit in Madrid amid Europe’s worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he's confident Turkey’s objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO can be overcome swiftly.

Sweden has denied it is providing any “financial assistance or military support” to Kurdish groups or entities in Syria — claims that Turkey’s using to back its opposition to Sweden’s and neighboring Finland’s historic bids to join NATO.

The Nordic nation has been considering joining the alliance in the wake of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Key decision-makers in non-aligned Finland and Sweden are set to announce their positions on NATO membership this week.

"Security is really looked upon very differently today than just a couple of months ago," Sweden's ambassador to the US told Insider.

With Western military aid flowing into Ukraine, a Pentagon official said Russia’s assault on the Donbas is meeting strong resistance.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance would quickly welcome Finland and Sweden into the fold if they decided to apply.

Finland and Sweden have brushed off warnings from neighboring Russia that their possible joining NATO would trigger “serious military-political consequences” from Moscow.

While Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin didn't break any laws, critics said her behavior was irresponsible.

Ethiopia's prime minister won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. Now, international observers say his government could be participating in war crimes.

A European Union envoy says Ethiopia’s leaders told him in closed-door talks earlier this year that “they are going to wipe out the Tigrayans for 100 years.”.

In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during his talks with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Lavrov blamed the European Union for a freeze in ties and argued that Moscow remains ready to mend relations. Just as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was visiting Russia earlier this month, Moscow announced the expulsion of diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden for attending protests in support of Navalny. Haavisto emphasized the EU's strong criticism of the Russian action, noting that the EU diplomats were fulfilling their duty while observing the protests. “Our relations with the EU don't matter when it comes to that,” Lavrov said.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides, left, speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, second right, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)BRUSSELS – European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. “It was a complete acceptance by all member states,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after the talks. Last week, tests conducted at labs designated by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed that Navalny was the victim of a Novichok nerve agent.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland decided late on Tuesday to lower buffer requirements of its banks, attempting to boost the slowing economy, as the country prepared to close its borders as part of the response to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo, Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka attend the news conference on coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Helsinki, Finland March 17, 2020. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig via REUTERSFinland will start restricting traffic over its borders on Thursday, Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo said. Indispensable work-related traveling will still be possible and continues within EU borders, Ohisalo told a news conference. Permanent residents would be allowed to return and foreign travelers permitted to leave Finland, Ohisalo said.

Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo, Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka attend the news conference on coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Helsinki, Finland March 17, 2020. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig via REUTERSHELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland will start restricting traffic over its borders on Thursday in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo said. Indispensable work-related travelling will still be possible and continues within EU borders, Ohisalo told a news conference. Permanent residents would be allowed to return and foreign travellers permitted to leave Finland, Ohisalo said. Travelling abroad should be avoided and the restrictions were valid until April 13, the government said, with passenger railway traffic between Finland and neighbouring Russia ending on Wednesday .

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland will start heavily restricting traffic over its borders on Thursday in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo said. Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo, Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka attend the news conference on coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Helsinki, Finland March 17, 2020. Indispensable work-related traveling will still be possible and continues within EU borders, Ohisalo told a news conference. Passenger railway traffic between Finland and neighboring Russia will end tomorrow, it added. Going forward, we consider it important that we can assess whether it will be necessary to restrict exports of drugs and medical gear, social affairs and healthcare minister Aino-Kaisa Pekonen added.