
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Sweden’s push to join NATO took a step forward Tuesday, after the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee ended a year-long delay and voted to allow the historically Nordic country to join the Western military alliance, <a href="https://twitter.com/anadoluagency/status/1739680608845008943" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a> to Turkish media outlets—a step that could help Sweden end its longstanding neutrality amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Turkey’s full parliament still needs to approve the decision, though no date for a vote has been set.</p>



<p>Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström said on X the country&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TobiasBillstrom/status/1739681174509748345" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">welcomed</a>&nbsp;the news and looks forward to becoming a member of NATO.</p>



<p>To join NATO, countries need unanimous approval from all 31 existing member countries—Turkey and Hungary have been the lone holdouts in Sweden’s bid, and Hungary has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/no-deal-with-turkey-swedish-nato-bid-hungarys-orban-2023-12-21/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">not yet</a>&nbsp;started the process of approving Sweden’s membership.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Sweden and fellow Nordic country Finland both <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61397478" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">made moves to drop</a> their historic position of neutrality by making a bid to join NATO in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland successfully <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-finland-russia-ukraine-membership-enlargement-c703d23a8423d89577d5b752d69d76eb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">joined</a> the alliance in April, but Sweden’s bid has taken longer, with Turkey and Hungary each stalling the process. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan previously <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/why-is-turkey-blocking-swedish-finnish-nato-membership-2023-01-25/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">raised objections</a> about both Sweden and Finland’s memberships, citing concern that Sweden in particular has been too lenient on Kurdish groups that the country views as terrorists. Last year, Turkey, Finland and Sweden struck a deal to bring Sweden and Finland into NATO, with Sweden offering to pass new anti-terrorism laws.  Erdogan has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/turkey-sweden-nato-congress-f16s-jets-d851a62123ed4c5ff250929c3d9b67f6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">suggested</a> he could approve Sweden’s NATO bid if the United States lets Turkey buy F-16s.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Hungarian President Viktor Orban said last week that there was “no great willingness” among Hungary’s parliament to rush a vote on Sweden’s NATO membership, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/no-deal-with-turkey-swedish-nato-bid-hungarys-orban-2023-12-21/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters.</a>&nbsp;Hungarian leaders have said Sweden has unfairly accused Hungary of eroding democratic rights—as Orban has frequently been accused of authoritarian tendencies. The country’s parliament will reportedly resume in mid-February.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>32. That’s how many countries would make up the NATO alliance if Sweden’s membership is ultimately approved.</p>


NATO Holds 2023 Summit In Vilnius

Sweden Gets Closer To NATO Membership: Turkish Panel Greenlights Bid To Join Alliance


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, witnessed multiple explosions and what government officials called “horrific rocket strikes” early on Friday as Russian forces continued to press deeper into the country in an attempt to capture the city, home to nearly 3 million people.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p><a href="https://forbes.ua/news/putin-ogolosiv-pro-pochatok-viyskovoi-operatsii-na-donbasi-ta-proignoruvav-zvernennya-zelenskogo-golovni-novini-24022022-3843" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According to</a>&nbsp;<em>Forbes Ukraine</em>, explosions were heard throughout Kyiv early on Friday morning.</p>



<p>Ukraine’s Deputy Interior Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-24-22-intl/h_e6c92eba96f9436542099ad74eef40e7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claimed</a>&nbsp;that one of the major explosions heard over the city—videos of which were&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1497043832168493067?s=20&amp;t=Mt30Qbyk8uFKyYcIkHgQ7w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">circulating</a>&nbsp;on social media—was the result of a Ukrainian air defense system shooting down a Russian missile out of the sky.</p>



<p>Interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko in a separate statement said Kyiv had been hit by Russia “cruise or ballistic missiles,” on Friday and shared several photos of residential buildings on fire.</p>



<p>Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reiterated these claims of “horrific Russian rocket strikes on Kyiv” in a <a href="https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1497058048430460934" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweet</a> and compared the situation to the 1941 invasion of the country by Nazi Germany.</p>



<p><strong>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732613.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54426" width="720" height="480" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732613.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732613-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732613-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></figure></div>



<p>A man walks his dog in front of a damaged residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on February 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Yesterday, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with Russian troops invading the country from the north, east and south, accompanied by air strikes and shelling. The Ukrainian president said that at least 137 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by the end of the first day. <strong>(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732743.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54427" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732743.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732743-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732743-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div>



<p>A member of the congregation bows their head to pray as Reverend Simon Ckuj delivers a service at St Andrew&#8217;s Ukrainian Catholic Church, Lidcombe on February 25, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. Russia has launched a military invasion of Ukraine, despite facing financial sanctions and condemnation from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and several other nations. <strong>(Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372731108.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54424" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372731108.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372731108-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372731108-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p> A burnt, damaged bedroom of an apartment is seen in a residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on February 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Yesterday, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with Russian troops invading the country from the north, east and south, accompanied by air strikes and shelling. The Ukrainian president said that at least 137 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by the end of the first day. <strong>(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238746109.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54423" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238746109.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238746109-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238746109-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>Hundreds of residents from a residential building damaged by a missile gather in a bomb shelter in the basement of a school on February 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Yesterday, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with Russian troops invading the country from the north, east and south, accompanied by air strikes and shelling. The Ukrainian president said that at least 137 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by the end of the first day. <strong> (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238745910-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54422" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238745910-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238745910-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238745910-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238745910-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238745910.jpg 1616w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>Civilians are seen after a missile struck a residential building during Russiaâs military intervention in left bank Kyiv, Ukraine on February 25, 2022 (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732824.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54428" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732824.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732824-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1372732824-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p> Ukranians gather in protest outside the Russian Consulate on February 25, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Yesterday, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with Russian troops invading the country from the north, east and south, accompanied by air strikes and shelling. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said this week that his country, which is a NATO member, did not &#8220;recognize any step against Ukraine&#8217;s sovereignty and territorial integrity.&#8221; <strong>(Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)</strong></p>


UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT

Photos Show Devastating Impact Of Rocket Strikes And Shelling On Kyiv


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine early Thursday, a chilling announcement that was immediately followed by reports of explosions across Ukraine, propelling the country into war after months of massive Russian troop buildups.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Russia launched the operation in response to calls for assistance from Russian-backed separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine, Putin claimed in a speech aired on Russian television.</p>



<p>CNN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-23-22/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;explosions were audible from Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv and the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Kramatorsk after Putin’s speech.</p>



<p>Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1496695889401896964" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>&nbsp;that Putin has “launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”</p>



<p>In a&nbsp;<a href="https://dpsu.gov.ua/ua/news/Derzhavniy-kordon-Ukraini-piddavsya-ataci-rosiyskih-viysk-zi-storoni-RF-ta-RB/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>&nbsp;issued on its website, Ukraine’s State Border Guard said the country was also facing an attack along its northern borders by Russian troops with support from Belarusian forces.</p>



<p>In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/zelenskiy.official/posts/3017478685169154?__cft__[0]=AZUsWu88Ns6ISNqguybw-W6LiMYzgDov6KnJBFAOkSEVR6FuKs4ggYpmWI8Oa0WsxZM-R-u6bprFJ7QDnHs0XfjWoVWRfslIQS-_JXWjY2X5H1oovMYTf3WwiGj3EIqPCY3NO1xlY_OI35QrjZ8DXBZz&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brief video</a>&nbsp;shared on Facebook, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law across the whole territory of Ukraine while urging the country’s citizens to not panic.</p>



<p>Putin called on Ukrainians to lay down their weapons and insisted he doesn’t want to occupy the country, claiming the military action is designed to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine.</p>



<p>Putin’s speech also included an ominous warning that he will&nbsp; bring to justice “those who have committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including citizens of the Russian Federation.”</p>



<p>The Russian leader also issued a stern warning against any international opposition to the move, stating any attempts to impede Moscow’s actions “let alone create threats for our country” will lead to consequences “never seen in history.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden denounced Putin’s actions and vowed to impose additional sanctions for the “needless act of aggression” on Ukraine. “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,” Biden said. “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>In a statement issued after a call with Zelenskyy, Biden said “I condemned this unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces. I briefed him on the steps we are taking to rally international condemnation&#8230;Tomorrow, I will be meeting with the Leaders of the G7, and the United States and our Allies and partners will be imposing severe sanctions on Russia.:</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>Putin launched the attack during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York called to deal with the Ukraine crisis. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, denounced Russia’s actions in a fiery speech: “There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell,” he said. Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya—who currently serves as the Security Council’s chair—responded by denying that Russia declared war, insisting Putin’s “special military operation” is somehow distinct from a war.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Shortly before Putin announced the invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a final plea for peace in a late-night speech. Zelenskyy said he attempted to contact Putin, but the Kremlin didn’t respond.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a tense relationship since 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, an area roughly the size of Vermont whose 2.4 million inhabitants are mostly ethnic Russians. Russian troops and military hardware were also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/191186/Hiding-in-Plain_Sight_0529.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deployed</a>&nbsp;eight years ago in support of separatists in the Donbas, an area of Ukraine bordering Russia, though the Kremlin&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-denial-idUSKBN0GS22Z20140828" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">officially denied</a>&nbsp;participating in the conflict. In December, Russia moved about 100,000 troops close to its border with Ukraine, a number that swelled to more than 150,000 by last week according to the U.S., prompting the White House to warn that Russia could launch an attack justified by a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharysmith/2022/02/03/russia-plans-fake-explosion-video-to-justify-ukraine-invasion-us-alleges/">“false-flag” operation</a>&nbsp;portraying Ukraine as the aggressor. Violations of a ceasefire in the Donbas have become more frequent over the last week, a trend U.S. officials viewed as an attempt by Russia to create a pretext for war. On Monday, Putin&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/02/21/putin-reportedly-said-hell-recognize-pro-russia-states-in-ukraine---heres-why-that-matters/">said</a>&nbsp;Russia will recognize the independence of Ukraine’s partially separatist-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and accused Ukraine of military aggression, a move the White House called a likely prelude to invasion, though the Kremlin has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/europe/ukraine-russia-latest-news-monday-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dismissed</a>&nbsp;concerns about a Russian invasion of Ukraine as “madness and scaremongering.” American and European officials have searched for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but Russia has continued to push for Ukraine to be barred from joining NATO, a demand the U.S. and its allies have not accepted.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Reactions from Western governments. The U.S. and its allies’ responses to Russian aggression so far have ranged from supplying the Kyiv government with weapons to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/business/nord-stream-pipeline-germany-russia.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">halting</a> the activation of Nord Stream 2, an $11 billion natural gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany—a move that threatens to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/05/nord-stream-2-is-a-major-item-of-leverage-against-russia-ex-german-ambassador.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deprive</a> Russia of tens of billions of dollars in natural gas revenue. NATO <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_191040.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a> January 24 that member states had sent ships and fighter jets to Lithuania and Bulgaria in response to the crisis. Though U.S. troops have been deployed to Eastern European NATO allies, Biden has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/08/russia-talks-of-rapid-ukraine-discussions-after-biden-putin-summit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ruled out</a> the possibility of deploying U.S. troops to defend Ukraine or to evacuate Americans, arguing a clash between U.S. and Russian troops would spark “a world war.”</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/"></a><strong><em>By Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>



<p><strong><em>By Zachary Snowdon Smith, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Nato

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Sweden Gets Closer To NATO Membership: Turkish Panel Greenlights Bid To Join Alliance

Photos Show Devastating Impact Of Rocket Strikes And Shelling On Kyiv

Russia Orders ‘Special Military Operation’ In Ukraine