NATO

An American F-16 shot down an armed Turkish drone in northeast Syria. Officials said it was the first time the U.S. shot down an aircraft from Turkey, a NATO ally.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Turkey's leader has agreed to have Turkish parliament vote on Sweden's bid to join the defense alliance.

Erdogan's support for Ukraine comes as Turkey has been holding off giving final approval to Sweden joining NATO, saying Stockholm is not effectively cracking down on groups Ankara view as threats.

All 276 lawmakers present voted in favor of Finland's application. The action lifted the last hurdle in the way of the Nordic country's long-delayed accession into the Western military alliance.

"NATO will become stronger with Finland's membership and thus, I believe, will play an active role in maintaining global security and stability," Turkey's president said Friday.

Ukraine has long sought fighter jets, though these are old Soviet-made MiG-29s and not the more advanced Western warplanes that Kyiv covets.

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has led the former Soviet republic since 2021. She's an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a vocal supporter of Ukraine.

The anticipated approval by the 30 NATO allies for Sweden and Finland on Tuesday will send the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals.

Estonia is host to one of the world's largest annual interactive cybersecurity drills. Russia is always considered the main threat, but this year, the war in Ukraine has only added to the stakes.

Western allies would respond if Russia uses chemical weapons against Ukraine, President Biden said after an emergency meeting with NATO allies. "It would trigger a response in-kind," he said.