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‘Historic Moment’ for NATO as Sweden and Finland Formally Apply for Membership

Membership could be rushed through in months, to guarantee their security against Russian threat.

Finland and Sweden formally submitted their applications to join the NATO military alliance Wednesday, in a move hailed as historic by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. The two countries, who have turned their back on decades of strategic neutrality in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, could become full NATO members within months if Turkish objections over links to Kurdish militants can be smoothed over. “All allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement. We all agree that we must stand together, and we all agree that this is an historic moment which we must seize,” said Stoltenberg after receiving formal application letters from the Finnish and Swedish ambassadors at NATO HQ in Brussels. Russia has said that NATO should expect a “military-technical response” if Finland and Sweden join the alliance.