Three NATO warships from the NATO Permanent Mine Action Group 1 (SNMCMG1 Group), the Estonian EML Sakala, the Dutch HNLMS Schiedam and the Latvian flagship LVNS Virsaitis arrive at the port to train with the Finnish Coastal Fleet in the Finnish city on the southwest coast of Turku, Finland April 25, 2022 Roni Lehti / Lehtikuva / via REUTERS
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HELSINKI, April 25 (Reuters) – Three NATO warships arrived in the southwestern Finnish port of Turku on Monday to train with the Finnish navy as Helsinki considers joining the US-led alliance amid rising tensions. Ukraine.
Latvian minelayer LVNS Virsaitis and mine hunters, Estonia’s ENS Sakala and the Dutch HNLMS Schiedam will train with two Finnish coastal miners, according to a statement from the Finnish Defense Forces.
The two-day exercise, due to begin on April 28th, will prepare Finnish ships for the NATO Response Force in 2022 and will focus on “countermeasures against mines and work in a multinational framework”, the statement said.
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Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on April 13th that her country would decide in the next few weeks whether to apply to join NATO, sparking an angry reaction from Russia. Read more
Finland and neighboring Sweden are close partners with NATO, but withdrew from joining the 30-nation bloc, founded in 1949 to oppose the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Marin said the option of joining NATO needs to be carefully considered, but that everything has changed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24th. Finland shares a 1,300 km (810 miles) land border with Russia.
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Report by Essi Lehto Edited by Gareth Jones / Mark Heinrich
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