Finland and Sweden formally apply to join the NATO military alliance; U.S. seeks to persuade Turkey on expansion - CNBC

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday marking another step toward the Western military alliance's expansion, although the full accession process could take a year and Turkey's objections need to be overcome.

More than 260 Ukrainian fighters, including some who are badly wounded, were evacuated Monday and taken to areas under Russia's control, the Ukrainian military said, and further evacuations were due to take place.

Meanwhile, Ukraine says the Russian army has lost 27,900 soldiers since its invasion of Ukraine on Feb.

President Joe Biden welcomed Finland and Sweden's applications to join NATO and pledged to work with Congress and the 30 members of the military alliance to swiftly bring the two countries into the group. .

Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian tank commander held in Ukraine, is charged with murdering a 62-year-old civilian in the northeast Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on Feb.

Russia doesn't actually see Finland and Sweden's accession to the NATO alliance as a military threat, Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb told CNBC, despite its warnings against any enlargement of the organization.

While Finland and Sweden have been historically "nonaligned," they were not neutral, and have been allied partners of NATO since the mid-1990s, engaging in joint military exercises with NATO members.

Ukraine has said that several hundred soldiers have been evacuated, it has not said how many people are left within the complex, however.

Russia's Ministry of Defence has claimed that almost a thousand Ukrainian soldiers who were holed up in the steelworks complex in the besieged city of Mariupol have "surrendered." Over the past day, the ministry said in an update Wednesday, "a total of 959 militants have surrendered ...

But one well-known military analyst and veteran has stood out this week after he appeared on state TV and gave a damning assessment of the Ukraine invasion, or what Russia calls its "special military operation.".

Read the whole story here: 'The whole world is against us': Russian military analyst gives damning assessment of Ukraine war on state TV.

The Russian army is holding more than 3,000 civilians from Mariupol at a former penal colony near Olenivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to the Associated Press, which cited a Ukrainian human rights official.

Buses carrying an unknown number of Ukrainian soldiers from the Mariupol steel plant were also seen arriving at another former penal colony near Olenivka, the Associated Press said.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian military said more than 260 Ukrainian fighters have been evacuated from the steel plant and taken to areas under Russia's control.

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the NATO alliance on Wednesday, setting in motion an accession process that is expected to take only a few weeks.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to meet Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in New York on Wednesday amid tensions among NATO members following Ankara's objections to Finland and Sweden's bids to join the Western military alliance.

NATO requires a consensus among all its current 30 members for the countries to be able to join.

In their latest military update, Ukraine's forces say that Russia is continuing to launch missile strikes at military and civilian targets in Ukraine.

Ukraine said the Russian forces' "main focus is on maintaining previously occupied frontiers, conducting reconnaissance, engineering equipment positions, replenishing stocks, and trying to improve its tactical position" adding that they "continue to launch missile strikes on military and civilian targets throughout Ukraine.".

The fate of the southern port city Mariupol is uncertain but is likely to come under complete Russian control soon, as Ukraine looks to evacuate the remaining forces from the Azovstal steelworks.

In its latest update, Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said Russia was "blocking" Ukrainian units near the plant, and "continues to inflict artillery and air strikes."?

Meanwhile, Ukraine's forces said 12 enemy attacks had been repelled in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas over the past 24 hours, with three Russian tanks, three artillery systems, six units of armored combat vehicles and seven enemy vehicles destroyed.

The Russian army has lost 27,900 soldiers since its invasion of Ukraine on Feb

Last week, Ukraine announced that 501 members of its National Guard had died since the invasion started, NBC News reported

Sweden and Finland are submitting their membership applications to the alliance as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues

However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he opposes the two countries joining NATO, referencing the hosting of members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Turkey classifies as a terrorist group

"Amnesty International has documented summary killings of captives by Russia-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, as well as the extrajudicial executions of Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces in recent weeks

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