China News Service, May 18. Comprehensive foreign media reported on the 18th that Finland and Sweden submitted application letters at NATO headquarters to formally apply to join NATO.
According to AFP, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said after receiving applications from the Finnish and Swedish ambassadors at NATO headquarters, "Your application today is a historic step. Your membership in NATO will now be considered. next move."
Reuters also quoted diplomats as saying it could take a year for all 30 member states to ratify.
According to the regulations, NATO must "unanimously agree" on the premise of 30 member states to admit new members.
Swedish Prime Minister Andersson and Finnish President Niinisto will travel to Washington on the 19th to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden. The trip will discuss issues such as the two countries' application to join NATO and transatlantic relations.
Earlier, in response to the fact that the diplomatic delegations of Sweden and Finland would visit Turkey to join NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would not agree to join NATO with countries that impose sanctions on Turkey, and the delegations of the two countries should not go to Turkey in vain. Convince the locals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 16th that "there is no problem" between Russia and Finland and Sweden, so Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO does not pose a direct threat to Russia.
But the expansion of NATO's military infrastructure on the territories of both countries is bound to provoke a Russian response.