Finland joins NATO

On April 4, 2023, Finland officially joined NATO, marking the end of its long-standing policy of military neutrality. This decision was driven by heightened security concerns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Finland's accession to NATO expanded the alliance’s border with Russia by an additional 1,300 kilometers, reinforcing NATO's presence in the region. The move represented a significant shift in Finnish foreign policy, which had prioritized neutrality during the Cold War and postwar period. Finland’s NATO membership was viewed as a major development in European security, aligning the country more closely with Western defense strategies.