Ukraine Update….80 days into the Russian move on the Ukraine…New US Friends ?

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO at its headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, beginning an accession process that could reshape transatlantic security, as attacks continued in western Ukraine — not far from the military alliance’s border in Poland.

Meanwhile, Turkey blocked the start of Finland and Sweden’s accession talks to NATO on Wednesday, a move that dampened a historic moment for the two nations breaking with a long-standing tradition of military nonalignment. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced continued resistance to the potential addition of the Nordic countries, even as NATO diplomats believe Turkey will eventually drop its objections. President Biden hailed the news of the countries’ applications, and vowed that while their bids are considered, the United States will work with them to “remain vigilant against any threats to our shared security.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that another group of Ukrainian fighters in the strategic port city of Mariupol left the Azovstal steel plant over the past day as part of a negotiated surrender, a claim The Washington Post could not immediately verify. Ukraine wants fighters taken to Russian-held territory to be released in exchange for Russian prisoners in Ukraine, but some key Russian officials are signaling they won’t support such an exchange.