NATOʼs Baltops-2022 military exercises begin in Sweden, marking the 500th anniversary of the Swedish Navy, the Polish newspaper wnp pl reported.
Forty ships arrived in Stockholm to participate in the exercise, including the 260-meter USS Kearsarge. Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist stressed that the presence of such a strong representation of friendly armies on the anniversary was "a clear signal of support for Swedenʼs and Finlandʼs NATO membership."
The commander of the US 6th Fleet, Vice Admiral Eugene Black, admitted at a press conference on Saturday that the participation of US troops in the joint Baltops exercise in the Baltic Sea is also a form of protection for Sweden and Finland from Russian threats.
Baltops-2022 will take place from 5 to 16 June in the Central and Southern Baltic Seas and at landfills in Poland, Germany, and the Baltic States. 40 ships, 70 aircraft, and 7,000 soldiers from 16 countries will participate in the exercises.
- On Wednesday, May 18th, Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO at the Allianceʼs headquarters in Brussels.
- On May 15th, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto announced that his country would formally apply to join NATO. The government supported this decision, and deputies of parliament also voted for it.
- On May 16th, the Swedish government formally decided to apply for NATO membership, following Finland.