US ‘confident’ in Nordic NATO bids despite Turkish opposition

Russian soldier pleads guilty as Ukraine holds first war crimes trial

KYIV (AFP) — The United States said Wednesday it is confident Finland and Sweden will become part of NATO, despite vocal Turkish protests — an expansion that would dramatically realign European security in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Reflecting the brutality of the conflict which has reinvigorated the transatlantic alliance, Ukraine held its first war crimes trial since Moscow poured troops across the border beginning Feb. 24, with a 21-year-old Russian soldier pleading guilty to the cold-blooded murder of a Ukrainian civilian.

The launch of Kyiv’s judicial reckoning over alleged atrocities committed on its soil after 12 weeks of war and thousands of deaths came as President Vladimir Putin was forced to confront the vexing prospect of NATO sharply expanding its reach on his borders.

Abandoning decades of non-alignment, Finland and Sweden formally submitted a joint application to join the military alliance at its headquarters in Brussels.

Throwing America’s full weight behind the Nordic nations, President Joe Biden said he “strongly” backs their NATO bid and offered U.S. support in the event of “aggression” during the application process.

In a sign of Washington’s resolve to stand firm with Ukraine, the United States reopened its embassy in Kyiv after a three-month closure, with employees raising the Stars and Stripes in a modest ceremony.

Biden’s comments came one day

before he was to welcome Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson to the White House for meetings set to underscore the strategic reach of their decision.

Reacting to the NATO applications, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said they would not have been expected a short time ago, “but Putin’s appalling ambitions have transformed the geopolitical contours of our continent.”

The accession bid faces stiff resistance from NATO member Turkey, which accuses the Nordic neighbors of harboring anti-Turkish extremists.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded “respect” from NATO over his government’s concerns.

But Western allies remain optimistic they can overcome Turkey’s objections.

For now, several including Britain have offered security guarantees to the Nordic nations to guard against any Russian aggression.

“We’re confident that at the end of the day Finland and Sweden” will enter NATO and “that Turkey’s concerns can be addressed,” U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

In an effort to lower the diplomatic heat, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met at the United Nations Wednesday with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who called the face-to-face discussion “extremely positive.”

In Ukraine’s first trial for war crimes — expected to be the first of many over the Russian invasion — Vadim Shishimarin, a shaven-headed sergeant from Irkutsk in Siberia, faces a life sentence after his guilty

plea in a cramped Kyiv courtroom.

Shishimarin admitted to a war crime in shooting dead an unarmed 62-year-old man in Ukraine’s Sumy region four days into the invasion.

“By this first trial, we are sending a clear signal that every perpetrator, every person who ordered or assisted in the commission of crimes in Ukraine shall not avoid responsibility,” prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova said.

Russia’s government has no information on the soldier, Peskov said, adding that many such cases reported by Ukraine are “simply fake or staged.”

The International Criminal Court is deploying its largest-ever field team to Ukraine, with 42 investigators, forensic experts and support staff being sent into the field to gather evidence of alleged war crimes.