Finland confirms it will apply for NATO membership, marking historic policy shift

Finland's president, Sauli Niinistö, confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership to the NATO military alliance, a historic policy shift prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow, which shares a 1,300 km (800 mile) border with Finland, has said it would be a mistake for Helsinki to join the 30-strong transatlantic alliance and that it would harm bilateral ties.

Sweden is also expected to follow suit as public support for membership has grown amid security concerns.

Niinistö called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to tell him of Finland's plans to join the alliance. Putin said such a move would hurt Russian-Finnish relations.

The Finnish president expressed readiness to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan after Ankara raised objections to the Nordic countries joining NATO.

As a NATO member, Turkey could veto their applications.

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