Finland formally enlists in NATO

Finland has officially become the 31st member of NATO, making it the last country to ratify the expansion of the US-led military bloc. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto signed the agreement on his country’s accession at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, before handing it over in a formal ceremony to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the event as a “historic day” and predicted that the military bloc would soon welcome Sweden as well. Finland’s accession had been blocked for months by Türkiye, which accused it of supporting Kurdish “terrorist groups” such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Sweden, which applied for NATO membership along with Finland last May, has so far failed to do enough, according to Ankara. Russia has warned that it would respond to NATO expansion by beefing up its defenses in the north-west of the country.