The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which welcomes Finland, which has long been a military neutral country, as its 31st member country, has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to a summit in July.
“A strong and independent Ukraine is essential to stability in Europe and the Atlantic region,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium, where the headquarters is located, on the 4th (local time). Lithuania) I look forward to seeing you at the Vilnius Summit.”
On this day, the 74th anniversary of its founding, NATO welcomed Finland as its 31st official member.
Finland, which has maintained its military neutral status for more than 70 years since World War II, applied for NATO membership along with Sweden in May of last year, three months after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Ukraine has also expressed its desire to join NATO since the Russian invasion in February last year.
“NATO is the only security system that can effectively counter a Russian invasion,” Zelensky said. “We expect the NATO summit in Lithuania to bring Ukraine closer to its Euro-Atlantic goals.
Secretary-General Stoltenberg also pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to invade Ukraine under the pretext of “blocking NATO’s eastward movement” failed, and rather backfired.
Meanwhile, Russia immediately protested Finland’s accession to NATO, considering it a threat to its national security.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned, “Finland’s accession to NATO violates Russia’s security and national interests.”
Meanwhile, Sweden, which pushed for simultaneous accession to NATO, is facing setbacks in accession because Turkey and Hungary did not ratify it. NATO membership requires unanimous approval from member states.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.