
ISTANBUL -- Turkey on Wednesday blocked the start of negotiations on the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO, according to online news outlet Middle East Eye, signaling trouble ahead for the two Nordic nations' applications.
Turkey voted against starting the talks at a NATO ambassadorial-level meeting in Brussels, the London-based organization said. The countries formally applied that day to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -- a decision, spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, that marked a shift from their long-held neutrality.