Tuesday 5 July 2022 09:51 AM NATO launches ratification process for Sweden and Finland's membership in wake ... trends now
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NATO today formally launched the ratification process for Sweden and Finland to join the alliance as members, marking a historic step brought on by Russia's war in Ukraine.
The move will further increase Russia's strategic isolation in the wake of its invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February and military struggles there since.
The 30 NATO allies started the ceremony to sign off on the accession protocols for the Finland and Sweden on Tuesday, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals.
'This is truly a historic moment for Finland, for Sweden and for NATO,' the military alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in a joint press statement with the Swedish and Finnish foreign ministers.
'With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger and our people will be even safer as we face the biggest security crisis in decades,' he added.
The 30 ambassadors and permanent representatives are formally approving the decisions of last week's NATO summit when the alliance made the historic decision to invite Russia's neighbour Finland and Scandinavian partner Sweden to join the military club.
