Finland and Sweden will together express their wish to join NATO in May, tabloid newspapers Iltalehti in Finland and Expressen in Sweden reported on Monday, citing sources close to the matter.
Despite tightening cooperation with the military alliance since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the Nordic countries had both opted to stay out. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which it calls a "special operation", has forced Sweden and Finland to examine whether their longstanding military neutrality is still the best means of ensuring national security.
