The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

The Nordic Times

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/us-urges-turkey-to-approve-swedens-nato-application/

Sweden

US urges Turkey to approve Sweden’s NATO application

The new cold war

Published May 31, 2023 – By Editorial staff
Antony Blinken and Ulf Kristersson at Thuesdays pressconference.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in Sweden at the moment, is urging Turkey and Hungary to approve Sweden's NATO application as soon as possible. He believes that Sweden has met the requirements and that the US is ready to admit Sweden.

On Tuesday, a meeting was held between Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M), Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Luleå, who is in Sweden to participate in an international summit with the EU, among others. However, the Swedish NATO application was the focus of the meeting and afterwards a press conference was held where Blinken urged Turkey and Hungary to approve the Swedish application.

– Turkey has raised important and legitimate concerns. Sweden and Finland both addressed those concerns. And so, the time to move forward is now. We’d like to see that happen before the Vilnius summit, says Blinken.

Since Sweden and Finland applied to the US military alliance, Turkey has made a number of demands to make membership a reality. Last month, Finland was accepted into the alliance, but Sweden is still not considered to have met the requirements. Blinken says that Turkey's demands are "legitimate", but they have now been met and it is time to accept Sweden as a member.

– From the perspective of the United States, the time is now to finalise Sweden’s accession, he says.

US President Joe Biden also raised the application earlier this week when he congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his narrow victory in the presidential elections.

– I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done. And so we’ll be back in touch with one another, Biden said. We’re going to talk more about it next week.

At the press conference, Kristersson also stressed that Sweden's new terrorism law will soon be in force, which he said is the last part of the agreement with Turkey.

– We have an agreement and we are in the process of fulfilling it. The very last part of it will enter into force on June 1, which is the day after tomorrow, Kristersson said.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finlands-border-fence-with-russia-nearing-completion/

Finland

Finland’s border fence with Russia nearing completion

The new cold war

Published today 12:34 pm – By Editorial staff
1 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

After nearly three years of construction, Finland's border fence with Russia is almost complete. The 200-kilometer barrier has been erected at strategically important locations to prevent hybrid warfare in the form of so-called instrumentalized migration.

Finland has chosen to expand its border security at locations where the risk is assessed to be greatest, despite the border with Russia stretching over 1,300 kilometers. The new fence covers only 200 kilometers of the total border length.

The 3.5-meter-high structure is designed to be impossible to climb and is equipped with barbed wire at the top. The area is also fitted with surveillance cameras and lighting, according to Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

The purpose is to stop what is called instrumentalized migration, where Russia sends asylum seekers to Finland as part of alleged "hybrid warfare".

The prioritization of where to build the fence has been based on where infrastructure and roads exist on both sides of the border. The old border crossings in Finnish Lapland have also been equipped with fencing as they constitute natural entry routes.

Mikko Kauppila, commander at the Lapland Border Guard, notes that the local population is supportive.

— It's patriotism, he says.

However, he worries that people are leaving villages in the area, which means fewer eyes to notice irregularities. The risk that someone could get around the fence has also sparked discussions about extension, but financing is uncertain.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finnish-region-loses-millions-in-revenue-after-border-closure-with-russia/

Finland

Finnish region loses millions in revenue after border closure with Russia

The new cold war

Published November 5, 2025 – By Editorial staff
The border crossing between Russia (Svetogorsk) and Finland (Imatra)
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Finnish region of South Karelia has been severely impacted economically since Finland closed its border with Russia at the end of 2023. Tourism revenue has decreased by approximately one million euros per day, and hotels, restaurants and shops stand empty.

South Karelia is located closer to St. Petersburg than to Helsinki, the Finnish capital, and has maintained extensive economic ties with Russia for decades.

The region's economy has been built on cross-border tourism, shopping, timber trade and local jobs within the forest industry.

Finland's decision to close the 1,430-kilometer land border with Russia was motivated by accusations that Moscow had deliberately created an increased migrant flow from Africa and the Middle East to Finland. Moscow has in turn dismissed the accusations as "completely groundless".

Impact on local businesses

Hotels, restaurants and shops in the region now stand largely empty, reports Bloomberg.

– Russian customers asked why we couldn’t stay open around the clock. They bought clothes in stacks – mostly the latest fashion and bling, but even winter coats were sold out by August, says Sari Tukiainen, who runs a shop in Imatra, a Finnish border town.

Due to decreased sales, Tukiainen plans to close the shop at the end of the year. Unemployment in Imatra has simultaneously risen to 15 percent, the highest in Finland, as factories and steel mills have reduced their workforce.

Historically, Finland has had a complex relationship with Russia. The country was part of the Russian Empire for over a century, and despite two wars with the Soviet Union during World War II, a friendly relationship was maintained during the Cold War.

After the war in Ukraine escalated in 2022, Finland was early to impose sanctions against Moscow. The country also abandoned its long-standing neutrality by joining the US-led military alliance NATO, a step that has further changed the economic and political dynamics in the region.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/spotify-founders-company-may-sell-attack-drones-to-germany/

Tech

Spotify founder’s company may sell attack drones to Germany

The new cold war

Published October 30, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Daniel Ek with the HX-2 drone. German contract could generate billions in euros for Helsing.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The German government plans to award three companies contracts worth €1 billion for the delivery of kamikaze drones – one of them is Daniel Ek's military technology company Helsing.

The three companies expected to share the contract are the Ek-backed startup Helsing, German competitor Stark – which counts Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel among its investors – and military-industrial giant Rheinmetall. Each company is expected to be awarded contracts of around €300 million each, according to sources speaking to the Financial Times.

No formal agreements have yet been signed, but if the contracts are approved by the German Bundestag's budget committee, they will likely be the largest deals for both young startups to date.

Under the agreement, the three companies are to deliver up to 12,000 kamikaze drones, though only a portion of that number will be delivered initially. The drones are expected to be deployed with a new German brigade stationed in Lithuania, with the official mission of defending NATO's eastern border against potential Russian attacks and airspace violations.

According to sources who spoke with FT, German authorities hope that splitting the contract among three players will stimulate innovation and competition.

— They're doing it to keep the competition alive and make sure they get the best system, said one of the sources.

European drone armament buildup

The deal comes at a time when European countries are significantly building up their drone warfare capabilities, both in terms of defensive technology to protect against potential drone attacks and offensive drones to conduct attacks against targets in other countries.

Investment in Europe's military technology startups has soared since the war in Ukraine escalated in 2022, with various venture capital firms now investing large sums in military operations.

Helsing has been described as Europe's most valuable military startup with a valuation of €12 billion, and over the past year the company has announced plans to deliver 6,000 drones to Ukraine, acquired German aircraft manufacturer Grob, and presented plans to manufacture underwater surveillance systems in the United Kingdom.

Stark was founded just 15 months ago and is backed by investors including American tech billionaire Peter Thiel and venture capital firm Sequoia Capital. The company has a team in Ukraine working on testing and development, and in July announced plans to open a factory in the English town of Swindon.

Rheinmetall surprised observers

That part of the contract would go to artillery and tank manufacturer Rheinmetall, which has already won tens of billions of euros in government contracts, came as a surprise to some players in the military-industrial sector.

Although the company has partnerships with American drone manufacturer Anduril and Israeli company UVision, it had until recently not had its own armed drone in its product portfolio.

Rheinmetall, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, offered to deliver the armed drone FV-014 to the German army, which the company publicly presented in September. The drone, also known as Raider, can carry a 5-kilogram payload and has a range of 100 kilometers.

Stark will deliver its armed drone Virtus and Helsing its HX-2.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/two-us-military-aircraft-crash-in-south-china-sea/

World

Two US military aircraft crash in South China Sea

The new cold war

Published October 28, 2025 – By Editorial staff
The past six months have seen a number of losses of American fighter aircraft in connection with accidents.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A US helicopter and a fighter jet crashed during separate routine missions in the South China Sea on Sunday. According to the US Navy, all crew members were rescued unharmed.

The incidents occurred within half an hour of each other, and preliminary reports point to technical failures.

The US Pacific Fleet reported on Sunday that an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter crashed at approximately 2:45 PM local time during a routine mission from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea.

Three crew members were quickly rescued by nearby vessels and are in good condition, reports Associated Press.

Approximately thirty minutes later, the fleet also lost an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, which was also operating from the Nimitz. The two pilots ejected and were shortly thereafter picked up by rescue units.

The Navy has launched a formal investigation to determine the causes of both accidents, which occurred over one of the world's most strategic and contested maritime areas.

Trump: "Very unusual"

President Donald Trump commented on the incidents during his Asia tour, calling the two consecutive crashes "very unusual".

– They think it might be bad fuel. We’re gonna find out, Nothing to hide, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Malaysia to Japan.

According to the Navy, this is the fourth time this year that an F/A-18 aircraft, with an estimated cost of approximately €56 million each, has been lost in an accident.

Two losses occurred earlier in the year in the Red Sea, and one accident happened off the US East Coast in August.

The South China Sea has long been a geopolitical flashpoint where China claims nearly the entire area.

In recent years, Beijing has expanded military installations on disputed islands and reefs, prompting the US to maintain a constant military presence in the region to protect freedom of navigation, according to official statements.

The dual aircraft crashes occurred while Trump is on an extended diplomatic tour in Asia, where he is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week for talks on trade and security.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com