Germany, a leading consumer, was on board from the get-go. Russia had invested heavily in the 750-mile undersea pipeline linking it to Germany and wanted to increase global sales and ramp up economic leverage over Europe and its power-hungry heavy industries. Two years ago, Moscow eyed a US-German standoff over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as a litmus test of transatlantic power. Two Leopard tanks prior to an event to mark the reception of the first units of the new tank in Bad Frankenhausen, Germany, in 2021. “We hope that both Sweden and Finland could and would be members of NATO before the Vilnius summit.” Haavisto said Finland and Sweden both considered NATO's Vilnius Summit in July to be an “important milestone” for the military alliance.

“All of these countries guaranteed that if something bad happens when we are on the waiting list, so to say, or when we are during this grey period, these countries will be of our help,” Haavisto told reporters Monday. Tensions between Sweden and Turkey have heightened in recent days, triggered by a recent protest outside Stockholm's Turkish Embassy which saw a Swedish far-right politician set a copy of the Quran alight.įinland had patience owing to the fact that it had received “security assurances when we started this NATO path” from the US, UK and other European allies, Haavisto added. The Wagner group on Sunday claimed to have taken control of the town of Blahodatne, further north along that road.įinland remains committed to its application for NATO membership alongside Sweden and hopes the bid will be approved by July, according to the country's foreign minister.įinland had the “patience” to see out the membership process as Turkey continues to delay its approval of Sweden and Finland’s applications, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said during a press conference in Helsinki on Monday.

He said that the road north of Bakhmut, towards, the town of Krasna Hora, is almost entirely under Russian control. The last remaining routes under Ukrainian control into the city have come under heavier Russian fire in the past week, according to Ukrainian officials and commanders. More on Moscow's eastern offensive: Russian forces have been making slow but steady gains both north and south of Bakhmut. “They are just coming forward, they do not take cover, they are coming all-out,” Yaroslavskyi said on national television on Monday.

That was echoed by another local Ukrainian commander, Volodymyr Nazarenko, who said that Russian paratroopers were taking part in the Bakhmut fight. Yaroslavskyi also warned that “super qualified” regular Russian military troops are now assisting Wagner private military contractors in assaulting the towns surrounding Bakhmut. “If our command decides to withdraw from Bakhmut, that would be with the only purpose of saving lives of our servicemen,” said Denys Yaroslavskyi, who commands a unit currently in Bakhmut. Warning of Russia’s continued attempts to encircle Bakhmut, a local Ukrainian commander has said that any possible Ukrainian withdrawal from the embattled eastern city would be done with the sole aim of saving Ukrainian military lives. A Ukrainian tank moves on a street in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on January 26.

Eight miles high and climbing fast