Russia has warned it will bolster its defences near its border with Finland if NATO deploy any additional troops or equipment to the country as it becomes the 31st member of the alliance. Finland’s blue and white flag is scheduled to be raised among those of its partners outside NATO’s Brussels headquarters. Finland’s president, foreign and defence ministers will take part.
Reacting to the news, Russia vowed to “strengthen our military potential in the western and northwestern direction”.
Alexander Grushko, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, told state media NATO’s expansion called for “additional steps to reliably ensure Russia’s military security”.
The ceremony falls on NATO’s very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.
It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers.
Turkey became the last NATO member country to ratify Finland’s membership protocol on Thursday. It will hand over the document officially enshrining that decision to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken before the ceremony.
Finland will then give Blinken its own final texts, officialising its membership.
Alarmed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022, setting aside years of military nonalignment to seek protection under the organisation’s security umbrella.
Neighbouring Sweden also applied, but its accession process may take a few months longer.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia, so its entry will more than double the size of NATO’s border with Russia.
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The move is a strategic and political blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about NATO’s expansion toward Russia.
Ahead of the ceremony, NATO Secretary General Jens Stontenberg said the move will make Finland stronger and safer.
He said: “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters.
“It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole.”
