Sauli Niinistö

In response to heightened fears of a Russian assault on an EU state, former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö outlined the urgent need for Europe to bolster its civil and military defense capabilities.

Day 719 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Day 434 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias was in Brussels on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC), which will be preceded by a ceremony welcoming Finland into the alliance. 

The flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters for the alliance's 31st member is being attended by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and government ministers.

Finland's main conservative party claimed victory in parliamentary elections Sunday in a tight three-way race that saw right-wing populists take second place, leaving Prime Minister Sanna Marin's Social Democratic Party in third, dashing her hopes for reelection.

The Finnish president on March 23 formally sealed the Nordic country's historic bid to join NATO by signing into law the required national legal amendments needed for membership in the Western military alliance.

Türkiye has announced its decision to ratify Finland's bid to join NATO as a result of the latter's concrete and sincere measures against terror organizations while delaying the bid of Sweden.

Finland's president plans to visit areas in Turkey devastated by last month's earthquake on Thursday and is preparing to meet the Turkish leader, after suggesting on Wednesday that Ankara might soon declare that it would ratify Finland's NATO membership and bring it a big step closer to joining the alliance.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinistö, will meet on March 17 to discuss Finland's bid to join NATO amid reports that Ankara plans to ratify Finland's accession protocol to the alliance in the coming days while delaying Sweden's bid.

Finns on Jan. 28 re-elected their popular and cautious president Sauli Niinisto, who is credited with maintaining a balanced relationship with the nation’s powerful neighbor Russia at a time of simmering relations between Moscow and the West.