Flash News

Bota

NATO indicates when Finland will officially join the alliance

NATO indicates when Finland will officially join the alliance

Finland will be officially welcomed into NATO within days" after Turkey's ratification of the Baltic country's admission to the Western defense alliance, NATO's secretary general has announced.

"All 30 NATO allies have now ratified the membership protocol ," Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday. "Finland will officially join our alliance in the coming days."

The landmark move ends Finland's decades of neutrality towards NATO and was prompted by concern over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which, like Finland, shares a border with Russia.

In a statement after the Turkish vote, the Finnish government said joining the alliance would strengthen the country's security and improve stability and security in the region.

Sanna Marin, the Finnish prime minister, tweeted: “As allies, we will give and receive security. We will protect each other. Finland stands with Sweden now and in the future and supports its application."

Finland's imminent accession to NATO came after Russia said on Friday that a ceasefire in Ukraine would not allow it to achieve the goals of its "special military operation" for now.

Latest news