Finland officially joins NATO as 31st member most consequential European security shift

Finland officially joins NATO as its 31st member, adding more than 800 miles of NATO border with Russia and nearly doubling the alliance's border with Moscow. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö hands Finland's accession documents to Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The Biden administration had fast-tracked Finland and Sweden's applications and coordinated diplomatic pressure to overcome Turkish objections. Finland's military is one of the most capable in Europe, with a 280,000-strong reserve force, modern equipment, and a culture of national defense shaped by the Winter War against the Soviet Union.