Finnish Parliament Approves Historic NATO Application in Vote
A board shows the results of the vote of the plenary session at the Finnish parliament on the NATO membership bid in Helsinki, Finland, on May 17.
Photographer: Antti Aimo-Koivisto/AFP/Getty Images
Finland’s parliament signed off on the plan to seek membership in defense alliance NATO alongside Sweden, marking a historic shift in the Nordic nations’ security policy.
The two are applying for entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to deter aggression from Russia. Public opinion in the European Union members -- that have shunned military alliances for as long as two centuries -- shifted overnight after Russia began waging a war in Ukraine in February, brushing off President Vladimir Putin’s demands that the organization not enlarge toward it.