The president and prime minister of the country announced their support for NATO membership without delay, leading to a show of support from Europe and a warning from Russia.
NATO flags are seen ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting. Dursun Aydemir/ Anadolu Agency is pictured.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement to multiple media outlets that he would warmly welcome Finland into the alliance.
The EU President called the decision by the Finns a powerful signal of deterrence to Russia and said it would greatly contribute to European security.
Poland's prime minister said the country supports NATO membership for Finland as quickly and smoothly as possible.
History is being made by our northern neighbors, and we support a rapid NATO accession process, said the Prime Minister.
The country will do everything it can to support a swift application process after the formal application from Finland.
An important turn towards an even stronger Alliance and greater security was called for by the prime minister of Latvia.
The president of Romania said that his country is ready to support the NATO accession process of Finland.
The prime minister of the Czech Republic said that the Czechs will support the decision of Finland to join NATO.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia would need to take a hostile move because NATO expansion does not make our continent more stable and secure.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has forced the two Nordic countries to rethink their military neutrality. Both countries held a joint press conference last month to announce that they are conducting security reviews, which could include applying for NATO membership. The country of Finns declared independence from Russia in 1917. Russia invaded and started a year-long war in 1939 that resulted in the ceding of a quarter of its territory to Russia. Sweden has pledged to avoid military alliances for over 200 years, but an island in the Baltic Sea could be a vulnerable target if conflict broke out in the region.
Sweden could join NATO within days of Finland's announcement, according to the foreign minister.
The U.K. signed security agreements with two other countries. Under the pact, the U.K. will increase military deployment to the two countries so that it can support them if they are attacked.
The President and Prime Minister of Finland have announced their support for NATO.
The UK struck a security pact with Sweden.
Here are the reasons why Finland and Sweden might join NATO.
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