NATO invites Finland and Sweden to join historic expansion after Russia invasion

NATO formally invites Finland and Sweden to join the alliance at its Madrid summit, ending both countries' decades-long policies of neutrality and military non-alignment. Finland and Sweden apply after Russia's invasion of Ukraine convinces both governments that neutrality no longer guarantees security. Finland officially becomes NATO's 31st member in April 2023, Sweden joins as the 32nd in March 2024. Russia calls the expansion a "direct threat." Putin's invasion of Ukraine achieves the opposite of his stated goal of preventing NATO enlargement, adding approximately 1,300 miles of new NATO-Russia border.