The Turkish president says he will not let ‘terrorism-supporting’ countries enter NATO.

Turkey has called on Sweden and Finland to take concrete actions and stop supporting terrorist groups in order for Ankara to agree to their NATO membership bid.

Turkey threatens to obstruct the process of Sweden and Finland joining the NATO military alliance if the two Nordic states fail to address Ankara’s “security concerns” related to the pair’s support for Kurdish militants outlawed in Turkey.

Russia's Gazprom has halted gas exports to neighboring Finland in what marks the latest escalation of an energy payments dispute with Western nations.

Russia is set to take “adequate countermeasures” to oppose military threats near its western borders posed by Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership.

President Joe Biden says that Finland and Sweden have the "full, total, complete backing" of the US for their application to join NATO amid resistance from Turkey.

Finland’s prime minister rejects the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons or establishing NATO military bases in her country even in the event that Helsinki becomes a member of the US-led Western military alliance.

Finland and Sweden are set to buy portable firearms and anti-tank weapons, Finland’s defense ministry has announced, as the Nordic countries have formally applied to join NATO.

Here are Press TV's latest top stories at 1600 GMT, May 18, 2022.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan says he cannot endorse the bid of Sweden to join the NATO military alliance as long as the two Nordic countries continue to lend support to terrorist groups.