Finland will join NATO Tuesday, military alliance chief says

BRUSSELS (AP) — Finland will become the 31st member of the world’s largest military alliance on Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, adding that Russia will step up defenses near its borders if NATO forces are stationed there. A warning was issued to do so. new member.

“This is a historic week,” Stoltenberg said on the eve of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels. “Finland will become a full member of the alliance from tomorrow.” He said he hopes to join NATO within the next few days.

The former Norwegian Prime Minister said on Tuesday afternoon: “I will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finnish security, Nordic security and NATO as a whole.”

Stoltenberg said Turkey, the latest country to ratify Finland’s accession, will submit an official document to Secretary of State Antony Brinken on Tuesday. Stoltenberg said he would encourage Finland to do the same.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen attend the ceremony along with Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

“This is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the main purpose of the meeting is to highlight NATO’s support for Ukraine while Russia continues its illegal aggression,” Haavist said in a statement. “We want to promote stability and security across the Euro-Atlantic region.”

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Glushko said Moscow will respond to Finland’s NATO membership and strengthen its defenses if necessary. “We will strengthen our military forces in the west and northwest,” Grushko said in a statement provided by state news agency Novosti. “We will take additional measures to ensure Russia’s military security in the event of the deployment of troops of other NATO member states on Finnish territory.”

The announcement of Finland’s accession comes just after Finnish voters backed the conservative party in weekend elections, usurping the upcoming term of left-leaning Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who said her home country would become a member of NATO.  

Fearing that they would be targeted after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, Nordic neighbors Finland and Sweden abandoned their traditional position of military non-alignment in favor of NATO security. 

All 30 allies have signed the Finnish and Swedish Accession Protocols. Turkey and Hungary delayed the process for months, but Finland gave in. Turkey has sought assurances and guarantees from both sides, especially in regards to countering extremism. Hungary’s demands were never clear.

NATO must unanimously approve the admission of new members. NATO officials also want Sweden on board ahead of a July 11-12 meeting with US President Joe Biden and his allies in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. “We will not leave Sweden alone. Sweden is close enough to become a full member,” Stoltenberg said.