Finland will become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Jens Stoltenberg, head of the military alliance, noted that Finland’s accession process has been “the fastest in NATO’s modern history,” which will make Finland more secure and NATO stronger. With Finland’s accession to NATO, the military alliance’s border with Russia “doubles.”
Finland’s representative will formally hand over the accession documents to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a ceremony. Last year, NATO invited Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance, but the Swedish candidacy is subject to a veto by Turkey. At his press conference, Stoltenberg claimed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was ordered by President Vladimir Putin “with the clear objective of having less NATO. But you will get exactly the opposite in return.”
While Finland joins NATO, Sweden will have to wait for its chance to formally join the military alliance. Turkey is reluctant to give the green light to Sweden’s membership because that country grants safe haven to Kurdish leaders and suspects of involvement in the failed 2016 coup. Stoltenberg expressed confidence that Sweden will be a full member of NATO in the near future, as it is a priority for both NATO and himself to ensure that this happens as soon as possible. In short, Finland’s accession to NATO will take place soon and will strengthen Finland’s security, while the possibility of Sweden joining the military alliance is still on hold due to Turkey’s veto.