NATO warships dock at Finnish port for training exercises.
ON MONDAY, three NATO warships landed in Turku, Finland’s southern port, to train with the Finnish navy as Helsinki weighs joining the US-led alliance amid rising tensions with Russia over Ukraine.
The Latvian minelayer LVNS Virsaitis and the Estonian ENS Sakala, and the Dutch HNLMS Schiedam will train with two minehunters from Finland’s coastal fleet, according to a statement from the Finnish defense forces.
The two-day drill, which begins on April 28, will train Finnish ships to join NATO reaction forces in 2022, focusing on “mine countermeasures and functioning in a multinational context,” according to a press release.
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Sanna Marin, Finland’s prime minister, indicated on April 13 that her country would decide whether or not to apply to join NATO in the coming weeks, triggering an angry response from Russia.
Finland and neighboring Sweden are close NATO allies. Still, they have resisted joining the 30-nation alliance, which was created in 1949 to confront the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Marin stated that joining NATO should be carefully considered. Things had changed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24. Finland and Russia have a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) land border.
Eric is a professional news editor, writer, and blogger for the last 10 years. He is working with NewsGater as an off-beat news editor cum writer.