VLADIMIR Putin has been dealt another blow after Finland announced it is applying for Nato membership.
The Nordic country’s announcement paves the way for the 30-member Western military alliance to expand amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
President Sauli Niinisto and prime minister Sanna Marin made the announcement at a joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Sunday.
Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, has previously been a neutral country.
Niinisto said: “This is a historic day. A new era begins.”
The Finnish parliament is expected to endorse the decision in the coming days, but it is considered a formality.
A formal membership application will then be submitted to Nato headquarters in Brussels, most likely at some point next week.
The Kremlin has long railed against the expansion of Nato, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine also looks set to push Sweden towards membership.
Sweden’s ruling party is holding crunch talks on whether to join the alliance.
