President Joe Biden and other top American officials on Tuesday celebrated Finland becoming the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a move that they characterised as a significant blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions.
In a statement, Mr Biden said Finland — and Sweden, which has yet to receive the unanimous assent required to join the alliance — are “strong democracies with highly capable militaries, who share our values and vision for the world” and noted that Finland’s bid to join Nato had been ratified faster than any other previous membership addition.
