The government of Finland has announced that it’s planning to apply for NATO membership in a move that’s likely to irk Moscow amid the months-long conflict in Ukraine.
Ahead of the planned announcement, Russian officials made threats against the Scandinavian country, which shares a lengthy border with Russia and has long held a position of neutrality. During the Cold War, both Finland and neighboring Sweden kept out of NATO, but the governments of both countries have said they’ve reconsidered their stance on the military alliance amid the Russia–Ukraine war.
