Finland to join NATO on Tuesday, Sweden still waiting

STORY: Finland will officially become NATO's 31st member state on Tuesday (April 4), marking the completion of a swift journey into the military alliance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic country has an 810-mile border with Russia, meaning NATO's frontier with Russia will roughly double in length.

Finland had applied to join NATO alongside its neighbor Sweden as Russia's offensive in Ukraine intensified.

The last hurdle to membership was removed last week when Turkey's parliament voted to ratify Helsinki's application even as it kept Sweden's bid on hold.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg hailed the move as "historic" at a press conference in Brussels.

"We should not leave the impression they made that Sweden is left alone. No, Sweden is very much inside NATO, integrated into military, civilian structures. (NATO) allies are ready to act, and it's inconceivable that there were going to be any threats or military attacks against Sweden without NATO reacting, and even more so with Finland as a full member."

Turkey and Hungary continue to hold up Sweden's membership.

In response to the news of Finland's accession, Moscow vowed to beef up its forces in border regions.