Finland Marks the Day of Submitting NATO Membership Application

The permanent representative of Finland to NATO is expected to submit the application for membership on May 18. This was announced to Aftonbladet by Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, who will lead the country’s delegation in negotiations with NATO.

Finland and Sweden have expressed their desire to join NATO against the backdrop of Russia's military operations in Ukraine, which began on February 24. On May 14, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that a decision on joining the alliance would be made in the coming days.

NATO allies were also surprised by Turkey’s statement that it would not support Finland and Sweden’s application to join the alliance.