Finland’s President and Government announced Sunday that the Nordic country intends apply for membership in NATO, paving the way for the 30-member Western military alliance to expand amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin made the announcement at a joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

The Finnish Parliament is expected to endorse the decision in coming days, but it is considered a formality.

A formal membership application will then be submitted to NATO headquarters in Brussels, most likely at the some point next week.

Putin to Finns: NATO instead of neutrality would be ‘wrong’

Giving up military neutrality to join NATO would be “wrong,” Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Finnish President Sauli Niinistö Saturday in a phone call, the Kremlin said.

The two countries said their presidents spoke on the phone, two days after the Finnish government officially endorsed the idea that Finland should join the NATO defense alliance.

“Such a change in the country’s foreign-policy course could have a negative effect on Russia-Finland relations, which have been built over the course of many years in the spirit of neighborliness and partnership cooperation and have a mutually beneficial nature,” the Kremlin said.

Niinistö told Putin “how fundamentally the Russian demands in late 2021 aiming at preventing countries from joining NATO and Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have altered the security environment of Finland,” according to the Finnish president’s office.

He added that Finland aims to seek NATO membership “in the next few days.”

Moscow previously warned that it would respond to Finland joining NATO with “military-technical” retaliatory measures, but did not specify what measures it is considering.

Russia on Saturday halted electricity deliveries to Finland, citing “problems in receiving payments for electricity sold on the market.”

Finland’s ruling Social Democratic Party on Saturday endorsed the government’s decision. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Niinistö will hold a decisive final meeting and press conference on Sunday.

The country is moving toward NATO membership in parallel with neighboring Sweden, which has also rethought its reluctance since Russia’s invasion. Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats are expected to announce their decision on Sunday. If they come out in favor, both countries could formally apply as soon as Monday.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military and political alliance into safeguarding the security and defense of its 30 members in Europe and North America.

NATO was formed in Washington DC in April 1949 to strengthen ties between States in the face of a perceived Soviet threat. It was originally a 12-member alliance (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States); then later, Greece and Turkey (1952), Germany (1955), Spain (1982), the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (1999), Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia (2004), Albania and Croatia (2009), Montenegro (2017) and North Macedonia (2020).

The group's Civilian Headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium. Its general Staff is structured into the Allied Command Operation in Mons, Belgium and the Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

NATO carried out ground, air and naval operations across the globe. Forces are operating in Kosovo and the Mediterranean. The group carries out Training in Iraq and it's also co-operating with the African Union.

NATO also fulfills activating machines for its members. The Principles of collective defense is at the heart of NATO's founding treaty. According to Article V, an attack against one member is considered an attack against all. The article was first invoked in 2001 as a sign of members solidarity as a response to the 9/11 attacks in the US.

VeryWickedMan:
Nor cry when e start o

SUPERPACK:
Last, last Europe will fight world war 3 alone and destroy their useless selves out of this earth. Africa will now arise to fill the void with Nigeria as its powerhouse. This I have seen.