NATO

Finland, which shares a border with Russia, changed its policy toward the military alliance after troops invaded Ukraine.

But the invasion changed Kaipia's mind. "I always thought myself being a pacifist, and NATO for me was part of the militarization of the world," said Jouni Kaipia, an architect and a photographer, after attending a rally in Helsinki to support Ukraine. HELSINKI, Finland – The leaders of Finland and Sweden have announced that they back their countries applying to join NATO in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin has already warned his Finnish counterpart on Saturday that relations would be "negatively affected." NATO Secretary-General Jens ...

The decision by the Social Democrats breaks with the party's long-standing position that Sweden must remain nonaligned and means there's a clear majority for NATO membership in Parliament. The plan to join the alliance will be discussed in Sweden's parliament on Monday, and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's Cabinet will make an announcement later that day. President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin made the announcement at a joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. The president and government of Finland announced on Sunday that the previously neutral Nordic country that shares a long border with Russia intends apply for membership in NATO, paving the way for the 30-member Western military alliance to expand. In Finland, President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin confirmed earlier statements that their country would seek membership in NATO during a joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. The Nordic country, which was nonaligned before changing its stance on NATO, shares a long border with Russia. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday the process for Finland and Sweden to join could be very quick.

Sweden's Prime Minister says Russia only has itself to blame to more countries wanting to join the military alliance, saying: "The Kremlin has shown that ...

The plan to join the alliance will be discussed in Sweden's parliament on Monday, and Ms Andersson's cabinet will make an announcement later in the day. Mr Stoltenberg also said the alliance would increase its presence in the Baltic region to deter Russian threats. - The plan to join the alliance will be discussed in Sweden's parliament on Monday

War in Ukraine triggers the NATO expansion it sought to avoid. Stockholm: Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will seek broad support for an application ...

The decision to slot in under the NATO umbrella would represent a setback for Moscow, with the war in Ukraine triggering the very kind of enlargement of the alliance on Russia’s borders that Moscow says it took up arms to prevent. Russia has warned Sweden and Finland of “serious consequences” and that it could deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in the European exclave of Kaliningrad if Sweden and Finland become NATO members. Following internal debates over the past week among the leadership of the Social Democrats, the biggest party in every election for the past century, Andersson said NATO entry was “the best thing for the security of Sweden and the Swedish people”.

Finland's government said Sunday it intends to join NATO, ditching decades of neutrality and ignoring Russian threats of possible retaliation as the Nordic ...

But NATO member Turkey, which has presented itself as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, has expressed reservations about integrating those two countries to the alliance. Fight against the terrorist is a very important topic for us." It will be based on a strong mandate, with the President of the Republic. We have been in close contact with governments of NATO member states and NATO itself." "Finland and Sweden are NATO's closest partners," Stoltenberg told a press conference. So of course we believe these are the right decisions and they will enhance our national security." On Saturday, Russia cut its electricity supply to the Nordic country following problems

Finland, which shares a border with Russia, changed its policy toward the military alliance after troops invaded Ukraine.

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Turkey's concerns shouldn't delay Sweden and Finland's accession to the alliance, says NATO. NATO's chief says he is confident common ground can be reached to ...

Stoltenberg added that he wanted to speed up the ratification process of the two countries as much as possible and that the alliance would look into ways to provide security assurances for the interim period, including by increasing NATO's presence in the region. "I'm confident that we will be able to address the concerns that Turkey has expressed in a way that doesn't delay the membership or the accession process," Jens Stoltenberg told reporters by video link on Sunday, adding that Ankara had made it clear it did not want to block the Nordic states' membership bid. NATO's chief says he is confident common ground can be reached to allay Turkey's concerns over Sweden and Finland's membership into the alliance and that it would seek to boost its presence in the region, while their membership is ratified.

However, the party will “work to ensure that Sweden, if the application is approved by NATO, expresses unilateral reservations against the deployment of nuclear ...

“We cannot rule out Russian attempts to intimidate us. The Swedish plan is now to submit a NATO application on Tuesday (17 May) together with Finland, following a vote on NATO in the Swedish Riksdag on Monday, according to SvD. With the Social Democrats in, the vast majority of the Swedish parties favour a NATO membership. Sweden and the Swedish people “live in a new and dangerous reality,” in which “we believe that Sweden needs the security guarantees that come with membership of NATO,” she also said.

Finland and Sweden will apply for membership of the West's major military alliance, setting aside decades of effective neutrality following Russia's ...

Please click below to help InDaily continue to uncover the facts. Everything changed when Russia attacked Ukraine,” Marin said. “We have had wars with Russia, and we don’t want that kind of future for ourselves, for our children, and this is why we’re making these decisions today and in the upcoming weeks, so there will never again be a war,” the Finnish premier said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey is not “favorable” toward Finland and Sweden joining NATO, but he has not ruled it out.

Moscow tells Nordic pair there will be 'far-reaching consequences' as both parliaments begin debating issue.

Nato and the US have both said they were confident Turkey would not hold up Sweden’s accession. While 85% of Finland’s 200 MPs back membership, 150 have requested to speak and a vote was not expected on Monday. “I’m confident we will be able to address the concerns Turkey has expressed in a way that doesn’t delay the membership,” Stoltenberg said on Sunday. “Our goal is to be amongst the first countries to be able to ratify the accession of Sweden and Finland, because we know that the interim period between the accession demand and the ratification must be shortened,” she said. She added: “Unfortunately, we have no reason to believe the current trend [of Russia’s actions] will be reversed in the foreseeable future.” A formal Swedish government decision to join the alliance is expected later on Monday. Ryabkov added that the two Nordic nations “should have no illusions that we will simply put up with it”, warning that the move was “another grave mistake with far-reaching consequences” and the “general level of military tension will increase”.

With Finland and Sweden both announcing their bids to join the Western military alliance NATO on Sunday, all eyes are on how Russia will react.

It will depend on what, in practical terms, will be the result of the expected accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance. Russia has justified its invasion of Ukraine in large part on the false premise that NATO is fighting a proxy war against it, in Ukraine. Russia still holds a powerful card in this area because it has traditionally accounted for around 40% of the EU's gas imports. "Of course there will continue to be airspace violations, just like there are over other NATO countries, but we're a defensive alliance and we're going to react coolly and professionally. With Sweden and Finland's latest move to join NATO, experts believe the alliance should prepare itself for more provocations from Russia. Russian provocations of NATO are nothing new.

On Tuesday, 17 May 2022, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will participate in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) of the ...

On Tuesday, 17 May 2022, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will participate in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU). On Tuesday, 17 May 2022, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will participate in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) of the European Union (EU). NATO Secretary General to participate in a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council

Finnish leaders say shift in wake of Russian action is not just in politics but also in people's minds.

“We Social Democrats think that the best thing for the security of Sweden and the Swedish people is to join NATO,” Prime Minister and Social Democrat leader ...

For the main center-right opposition party in Sweden, the Moderate Party, the apparent resolution of the debate over NATO appears bittersweet. “We want to live in this free and democratic Sweden,” she said. “We Social Democrats think that the best thing for the security of Sweden and the Swedish people is to join NATO,” Prime Minister and Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson told a press conference. In a coffee shop opposite the central train station, the barista said she trusted the country’s leaders to make the right call. The solution came in part from Swedish and Finnish center-right opposition parties, which as long-term NATO membership supporters could have sought to score political points, but largely elected not to, seemingly in the national interest. At the same time, public opinion — at times seemingly both feeding and feeding off this new governmental openness to NATO membership — continued to move in favor of joining the alliance.

The two Nordic nations had long kept the military alliance at an arm's length, even while eying Russia to their east with caution. But Moscow's assault on ...

He added that Russia's reaction would depend on "how far and how close to our borders the military infrastructure will move." Russia currently shares about 755 miles of land border with five NATO members, according to the alliance. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, public support for joining NATO in Finland has leaped from around 30% to nearly 80% in some polls. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that "NATO expansion does not make the world more stable and secure" after the announcement. , Russia attempted to demand security guarantees from NATO that the alliance stop expanding eastward. The term was coined during the Cold War and has been applied to other countries in which a superpower exerts control over smaller neighboring states. "There's going to be preparations for contingencies as part of deterring any adventures that the Russians might be thinking of," Bildt said. While an independent nation, Sweden's geography puts it in the same "strategic environment" as its liberal democratic neighbors, Bildt said. The point of the treaty, and Article 5 specifically, was to deter the Soviets from attacking liberal democracies that lacked military strength. Article 5 guarantees that the resources of the whole alliance -- including the massive US military -- can be used to protect any single member nation, such as smaller countries who would be defenseless without their allies. Former Swedish leader Carl Bildt told CNN he doesn't see new big military bases being built in either country should they join NATO. He said that joining the alliance would likely mean more joint military training and planning between Finland, Sweden and NATO's 30 current members. But NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attempted to allay concerns about Turkey's stance, saying Sunday the country "has made it clear that their intention is not to block membership."

Russia's attack on Ukraine has made Sweden and Finland rethink their security needs and move to seek safety in the alliance they stood apart from for ...

A formal application by Ms Andersson’s minority government would be sure to follow. The decision to slot in under the NATO umbrella would represent a setback for Moscow, with the war in Ukraine triggering the very kind of enlargement of the alliance on Russia’s borders that Moscow says it took up arms to prevent. With the party leadership having said it would decide on Sunday, and widely expected to drop its opposition, support for joining the alliance would command a broad majority in Sweden’s Riksdag as much of the opposition is already in favour.

Sweden's Prime Minister said she sees “a historic change in our country's security policy line” as the country eyes NATO membership.

They made a surprise stop Saturday in Ukraine’s capital to express solidarity in the fight against the Kremlin. “The goal of the United States is to do it as rapidly as possible,” McConnell said. Not unanimous, but very significant,” the longtime NATO supporter said. The Scandinavian country has no nuclear weapons of its own. “Sweden is best defended within NATO,” Andersson said. In Helsinki, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that there is “very significant” support in the Congress and he expects swift ratification, adding that the two Nordic countries will “bring a great deal to the NATO alliance.”

Finland and Sweden's decisions to join the military alliance may increase the chance of confrontation, Russia says.

It is a shame that common sense is being sacrificed to some phantom provision about what should be done in this unfolding situation,” Ryabkov said. Russia has given few clues about what it will do in response to the Nordic enlargement of NATO, saying merely there would be a “military-technical response”. Decisions by Finland and Sweden to join the Western military alliance threaten to increase the chance of armed confrontation, Russian official says.

A historic shift that comes after more than 200 years of military nonalignment in the Nordic country.

"Sweden needs formal security guarantees that come with membership in NATO." He said he hoped a vote could be held before the August recess. "The Swedish government's intent is to apply for NATO membership.

Sweden's government has formally decided to apply for NATO membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday, setting it on the road toward ...

"Finland and Sweden's security is a matter of common concern to us all. There is broad backing in parliament for an application, though the government does not need its approval to go ahead. She said the application could be handed in on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and would be synchronised with Finland, which has also confirmed it would apply to join the military alliance. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Sweden's government has formally decided to apply for NATO membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says, setting it on...

"Finland and Sweden's security is a matter of common concern to us all. "I'm confident that we will be able to address the concerns that Turkey has expressed in a way that doesn't delay the membership," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday. Diplomats said Erdogan would be under pressure to yield as Finland and Sweden would greatly strengthen NATO in the Baltic Sea. Turkey has said it wanted the Nordic countries to halt support for Kurdish militants on their territory, and to lift bans on sales of some weapons to Turkey. Should Finland or Sweden be victim of aggression on their territory before obtaining NATO membership, we will assist Finland and Sweden by all means necessary," they said in a statement. She said the application could be handed in on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and would be synchronised with Finland, which has also confirmed it would apply to join the military alliance.

The cyber side of conflict has become a prominent topic in recent years, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made the discussion of this topic all the more ...

In order to do this, NATO must identify and prioritise infrastructure for protection, as well as criteria and policy for action. The dominance of the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, known in government as the FVEY, or Five-Eyes, highlights the urgent need for the alliance to develop policy addressing the collective defence of NATO members. The interconnectedness of European critical infrastructure, as illuminated by the Russian ViaSat communications attack impacting German wind power generation and distribution, highlights the requirement for NATO to address cyberspace as the critical domain it is. To fulfill this role in kinetic as well as non-kinetic realms, NATO must be prepared for hybrid forms of warfare and present slated to join the alliance a cohesive and tailored response to transgressions. Following the shortcomings of the 2015 United Nations Group of Governmental Experts report on information and telecommunications in the context of national security, a lack of consensus continues to exist on the severity of cyberspace operations targeting critical infrastructure requiring collective and even national responses. In light of developments such as these, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) should consider and create policy for collective cyber defence, and potentially offense, under Article 5 of the NATO Charter.

We would like to hear from those in Finland and Sweden about their countries intentions to apply for Nato membership.

What are your views on the Russia-Ukraine war? How do you feel about it? After Finland confirmed its intention to join Nato on Sunday, the Swedish prime minister Magdalena Andersson said Sweden intends to do the same.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says the government has made a formal decision to join the NATO military alliance.

"Finland and Sweden's security is a matter of common concern to us all. Turkey has said it wanted the Nordic countries to halt support for Kurdish militants on their territory, and to lift bans on sales of some weapons to Turkey. Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said on Monday that Sweden would start diplomatic discussions with Turkey to try to overcome the objections to its plan to join NATO.

On Friday (13 May 2022), university students presented innovative solutions to real-life problems faced by Allied militaries as part of the “Hacking for ...

The teams were mentored and coached by experts from NATO and Allied operational and technology communities. Innovators tackled real-life problems including developing secure ways to share information on cyber threats during operations and making ships safer by leveraging Artificial Intelligence for damage control processes. University students from Allied and partner countries are contributing to a variety of projects and initiatives.

Sweden's government has formally decided to apply for NATO membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says, setting it on...

"Finland and Sweden's security is a matter of common concern to us all. "I'm confident that we will be able to address the concerns that Turkey has expressed in a way that doesn't delay the membership," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday. Diplomats said Erdogan would be under pressure to yield as Finland and Sweden would greatly strengthen NATO in the Baltic Sea. Turkey has said it wanted the Nordic countries to halt support for Kurdish militants on their territory, and to lift bans on sales of some weapons to Turkey. Should Finland or Sweden be victim of aggression on their territory before obtaining NATO membership, we will assist Finland and Sweden by all means necessary," they said in a statement. She said the application could be handed in on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and would be synchronised with Finland, which has also confirmed it would apply to join the military alliance.

NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a security alliance established in 1949 to counter soviet aggression in Europe during the Cold War. The ...

After being firmly against NATO membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted following Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, with record levels of support for joining the alliance. “They thought they could scare Sweden and Finland and drive a wedge between us and our neighbors and allies. They no longer see themselves as neutral after joining the European Union in 1995, but have remained nonaligned militarily until now. “We cannot rule out that Sweden will be exposed to, for instance, disinformation and attempts to intimidate and divide us.” “The Russian leadership thought they could bully Ukraine and deny them and other countries self-determination," Kristersson said. Speaking to a Russian-led military alliance of six ex-Soviet states, Putin said Moscow “does not have a problem” with Sweden or Finland as they apply for NATO membership, but that “the expansion of military infrastructure onto this territory will of course give rise to our reaction in response."

Sweden will formally apply for NATO membership in the next few days, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says but its accession process, and that of Finland, hit a snag when NATO member Turkey's president said he would not approve either bid.

"I know, based on my conversations and the relations that I have with my counterparts, that Sweden is welcome in NATO. But we are not only welcome - I also know that Sweden as a member makes NATO stronger," Byden said. General Micael Byden, commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, told a news conference the decision to apply was right from a military strategic perspective and that defending Sweden, unilaterally or in co-operation with other countries, would be easier with Sweden part of NATO. The decisions by Finland and Sweden to apply to NATO set the two countries on a path toward ending policies of military non-alignment that had defined their defence strategies since the start of the Cold War. The decision to abandon the military non-alignment that has been a central tenet of Swedish identity for two centuries reflects a sea change in public perception in the Nordic region following Russia's attack on Ukraine. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shaken up Europe's security architecture and forced Sweden and Finland to choose sides after staying out of the US-led NATO alliance during the Cold War. Sweden will formally apply for NATO membership in the next few days, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says but its accession process, and that of Finland, hit a snag when NATO member Turkey's president said he would not approve either bid.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Finland and Sweden's bids to join NATO posed no direct threat to Russia, but warned the Western military alliance ...

“Therefore, in this sense, expansion on account of these countries does not pose a direct threat to Russia.” Ending more than half a century of military neutrality, Finland said on Sunday that it would apply to join NATO in the face of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. “This is a historic day — a new era begins,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said. But Putin warned there would be consequences if the military alliance moved weapons into the territory of the two countries.

The Turkish president is unlikely to veto Nordic membership of NATO – but Turkey's bigger strategic worry is of a NATO-Russia conflict arising out of the ...

Senior Turkish officials are quietly concerned that the conflict is now turning into a NATO-Russia war and that the risk of escalation is growing, fuelled by greater arms support for Ukraine and the absence of a negotiations framework. Swedish foreign policy’s focus on human rights, gender equality, and diversity is almost anathema to the male-dominated, conservative political culture in Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party. Within the European Union, Swedes have championed a human rights-based approach in relations with Turkey – which has annoyed Ankara for years. For the past few years, Ankara has criticised NATO for failing to be a reciprocal love-match, a relationship that overlooks Turkey’s security concerns despites the country’s decades of loyalty to the alliance. Turkey views the US-allied Kurdish administration in northern Syria, dominated by the Syrian Democratic Forces, as an offshoot of the PKK and a threat on its southern border. It is unlikely that Erdogan had one specific policy goal in mind, but he will no doubt be expecting to be cajoled, persuaded, and eventually rewarded for his cooperation, as in the past. This was an obstacle in an otherwise well-choreographed Nordic march into NATO. Was Erdogan trying to put pressure on the US Congress for those F-16s that Ankara wants to purchase?

Following a debate in the country's parliament, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said a broad majority favours joining the Alliance. “The best thing for ...

“Our goal is to be among the first countries to be able to ratify the accession of Sweden and Finland because we know that the interim period between the accession demand and the ratification must be shortened,” she said. Andersson told reporters that Sweden would be “in a vulnerable position” while the application was being processed but that she felt “confident that there is support for this among the Swedish people”. “The best thing for Sweden and the Swedish population is to join NATO,” she added.

Sweden's government has formally decided to apply for NATO membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says, setting it on...

"I know, based on my conversations and the relations that I have with my counterparts, that Sweden is welcome in NATO. But we are not only welcome - I also know that Sweden as a member makes NATO stronger," Byden said. General Micael Byden, commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, told a news conference the decision to apply was right from a military strategic perspective and that defending Sweden, unilaterally or in co-operation with other countries, would be easier with Sweden part of NATO. The decisions by Finland and Sweden to apply to NATO set the two countries on a path toward ending policies of military non-alignment that had defined their defence strategies since the start of the Cold War. The decision to abandon the military non-alignment that has been a central tenet of Swedish identity for two centuries reflects a sea change in public perception in the Nordic region following Russia's attack on Ukraine. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shaken up Europe's security architecture and forced Sweden and Finland to choose sides after staying out of the US-led NATO alliance during the Cold War. Sweden will formally apply for NATO membership in the next few days, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says but its accession process, and that of Finland, hit a snag when NATO member Turkey's president said he would not approve either bid.

Sweden will follow neighboring Finland and apply for NATO membership because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, ending more than 200 years of military ...

After being firmly against NATO membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted following Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, with record levels of support for joining the alliance. “They thought they could scare Sweden and Finland and drive a wedge between us and our neighbors and allies. Like Finland it remained neutral throughout the Cold War, but formed closer relations with NATO after the 1991 Soviet collapse. “We cannot rule out that Sweden will be exposed to, for instance, disinformation and attempts to intimidate and divide us.” Speaking to a Russian-led military alliance of six ex-Soviet states, Putin said Moscow “does not have a problem” with Sweden or Finland as they apply for NATO membership, but that “the expansion of military infrastructure onto this territory will of course give rise to our reaction in response.” Sweden’s move came a day after the governing Social Democratic party endorsed a plan for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance and after Finland’s government announced that it would seek to join NATO.

Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to downplay the significance of Sweden and Finland's bids to join NATO, marking a major shift in rhetoric.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. What that (response) will be - we will see what threats are created for us,” Putin said. The comments appeared to mark a major shift in rhetoric. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on Monday (AEST) formally announced the decision to seek NATO membership, upending 200 years of neutrality and nonalignment. Swedish and Finnish officials have said Putin has only himself to blame for their decisions to join NATO. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt tweeted a picture of a mock award for Putin as “NATO salesman of the year”. “Problems are being created for no reason at all.

A group of NATO allies have offered Finland and Sweden interim security guarantees after the two Nordic countries announced they intend to join the alliance ...

Norway, Denmark, and Iceland—all NATO members—issued a joint statement in support of Sweden and Finland’s decision, pledging to support the two countries’ rapid accession into the alliance and aid them against any possible retaliatory action. Norway, Denmark, and Iceland—all NATO members—issued a joint statement in support of Sweden and Finland’s decision, pledging to support the two countries’ rapid accession into the alliance and aid them against any possible retaliatory action. Once Helsinki and Stockholm have submitted their applications, the decision moves to the North Atlantic Council, the alliance’s principal decision-making body, for consideration. Finland’s and Sweden’s accession into the alliance is expected to move briskly. He also cited Sweden and Finland’s 2019 decision to put an arms embargo on Turkey over its incursion into Syria. Several European officials who spoke to Foreign Policy on condition of anonymity speculated that this could be a blunt negotiating feint from Erdogan, and they anticipated Turkey would ultimately support Finland and Sweden joining NATO after diplomatic negotiations. Other Russian officials have been less discreet, with the deputy chair of the Russian parliament’s defense committee warning that Moscow could strike the United Kingdom and Finland using its RS-28 Sarmat nuclear-capable hypersonic missile. Finland and Sweden, which have for decades adhered to a policy of military nonalignment, rapidly reversed their policies after Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in February sent shock waves throughout Europe. Several lawmakers who have opposed NATO expansion in the past, including Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee, could delay the Senate process, but adding both new members ultimately has widespread bipartisan support. “Finland and Sweden’s security is a matter of common concern to us all,” they said in the joint statement. Some Finnish officials believe Russia is too politically and militarily overstretched in Ukraine to focus on interrupting Finland’s path to NATO membership. Finland and Sweden, which have for decades adhered to a policy of military nonalignment, rapidly reversed their policies after Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in February sent shock waves throughout Europe. Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also signed similar security agreements with both countries and vowed to back them in the event of a possible attack.