Both Stoltenberg and Secretary of State Antony Blinken officially welcomed Finland into the western security alliance on Tuesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
Finland’s accession comes on the 74th anniversary of NATO’s founding.
“I can hardly think about any better way to mark our anniversary than having a new member come into our alliance,” Stoltenberg said at a ceremony marking the accession.
The inclusion of Finland, which shares more than 800 miles of border with Russia, is a major blow to Moscow.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in comments carried by state-controlled media that Moscow will respond by strengthening its military presence in the west and northwest
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian soldiers to invade Ukraine last year in part over fears of NATO’s eastward expansion.
Blinken, who personally accepted Finland’s papers on Tuesday, said the invasion of Ukraine was the “one thing we can thank Mr. Putin for.”
“He, once again here, has precipitated something he claims to want to prevent,” Blinken said at the ceremony,”causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense.”
Finland’s formal accession comes just under a year after the country first applied for NATO membership along with Sweden, whose own NATO bid is still in limbo.
Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify the nation’s application, and all members of the alliance must formally approve of a new member.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has protested Sweden’s membership, citing concerns about the country’s support for Kurdish groups that his country has designated as terrorists.
Read the latest news on NATO, Russia and Ukraine on The Hill’s Defense page.
