Last May Finland and neighboring Sweden announced bids to join NATO after Russia first invaded Ukraine last February. Turkey became the final and 30th member to ratify Finland’s bid to join NATO on Thursday and Finland is expected to finalize their membership in the coming days. Sweden continues to face opposition to joining the alliance. Finland President Sauli Niinistö tweeted a statement looking forward to welcoming Sweden to join the alliance as soon as possible. The two countries faced opposition from Turkey after submitting their bids and bids to join NATO must be ratified by all members of the alliance. Turkey has delayed ratifying Sweden’s bid after many disputes. Hungary is holding up Sweden’s admission, citing grievances over criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s policies.
Read More: Why is Sweden left behind in the Nordic NATO bid?
