HELSINKI, 16 May 2022, (TON): Finland’s government declared a new era is underway after announcing its intention to seek NATO membership, hours before Sweden’s governing party backed a plan to join the trans-Atlantic alliance amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Russia has long bristled about NATO moving closer to its borders, so the developments will be sure to further anger Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin has already warned his Finnish counterpart on Saturday that relations would be negatively affected.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking Sunday after top diplomats from the alliance’s 30 member states met in Berlin, said “the process for Finland and Sweden to join could be very quick.”

He also expressed his hope that Ukraine could win the war as Russian military advances appear to be faltering.

In Finland, President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin made the announcement that their country would seek membership in NATO during a joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

The previously neutral Nordic country shares a long border with Russia.

Niinisto said “this is a historic day. A new era begins.”