On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin cited the eastward expansion of NATO as a reason to launch a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Four months later, and Putin’s goal of weakening the military alliance and deterring other countries from joining has seemingly failed as Sweden and Finland have been formally invited to join NATO. Finland becomes the sixth country that borders Russian territory to join NATO. This marks a historic shift for the two Nordic nations that for decades have practiced an official nonaligned status between the West and Moscow. Public support in Sweden and Finland of becoming a NATO member rose dramatically after the invasion.
Sweden and Finland submitted applications in May, but faced opposition from Turkey. Under NATO rules, just one member state can veto a new applicant’s membership. Although restrictions on arms exports also form part of Turkey’s misgivings over the 30-state alliance’s enlargement, it is the presence of people linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, that forms the foundation of Turkey’s concerns. After weeks of negotiations, the three countries’ leaders signed a joint agreement on Tuesday. In response to the possibility of more NATO expansion on Russia’s borders, President Putin said “Russia wants to inform you that it has no problems with these states (Sweden and Finland).Therefore, in this sense, expansion on account of these countries does not pose a direct threat to Russia.”
The process of officially becoming a member state will take months. The legislatures of all 30 member states must approve the Accession Protocol. NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, expects the approval process to go quickly.
It is estimated that 12 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine. Around five million have escaped the country, most heading for neighboring Poland. While it is difficult to obtain an accurate death toll, the Ukrainian government stated that they are losing up to 200 soldiers a day, not to mention the tens of thousands of innocent civilians who have lost their lives.
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