Finland and Sweden have formally applied for NATO membership at the Allianceʼs headquarters in Brussels.
This was reported by the NATO press service on Twitter.
Finnish Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen and Swedish Ambassador Axel Wernhof forwarded the applications to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. These documents must be approved by each of the 30 members of the North Atlantic Alliance.
- On 15 May, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto announced that his country would formally apply to join NATO. This decision was supported by the government, and MPs voted for it.
- On 16 May, the Swedish government, following Finland, also formally decided to apply for NATO membership.
- However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country will not support Swedenʼs and Finlandʼs accession to NATO. He accused these states of "supporting terrorism".