Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday in Brussels, driven by the Russia–Ukraine conflict to step out of their neutrality maintained during and since the Cold War.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it was a “historic moment” and that he warmly welcomed the two nations into the world’s biggest military alliance, a move considered to be one of the most significant adjustments to Europe’s security architecture in decades.
“You are our closest partners, and your membership in NATO will increase our shared security,” Stoltenberg said at a short ceremony in which the Swedish and Finnish ambassadors handed over their application letters in white folders embossed with their national flags….