Major Northern European Country To Join NATO As Tensions With Russia Rise

Amidst increased tensions over the war in Ukraine, the Nordic country of Finland is set to officially join NATO in the coming days, making it the latest addition to the intergovernmental military organization. The move was recently approved by Turkey, the final NATO member to do so, despite objections from Russia.

Reacting to the development, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general, stated, “Finland will formally join our Alliance in the coming days. Their membership will make Finland safer and NATO stronger. I look forward to also welcoming Sweden as a full member of the NATO family as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, the move has been described as significant for Finland’s safety and the improvement of stability and security in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe. However, Russia has vigourously opposed the move, just as it has opposed Sweden’s attempts to join the alliance.

The last country to have joined the alliance was North Macedonia in 2020. Founded in 1949 to counter the threat from the Soviet Union, NATO requires that an attack on one of its members is considered an attack on all, meaning that all member countries are obligated to get involved during times of conflict.

Despite these tensions, however, NATO has been vocal about support for Ukraine, with Stoltenberg calling for an increase in the military production of weapons and ammunition in order to sustain this support.