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Added on the 04/04/2023 11:07:32 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
Finland's flag flies high for the first time at NATO headquarters, as the country officially joined the US-led defence alliance in a historic realignment of Europe's defences that drew an angry warning of "countermeasures" from the Kremlin. Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine last year upended Europe's security landscape and prompted Finland -- and its neighbour Sweden -- to drop decades of military non-alignment. IMAGES
NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels the day after Finland officially joined the Atlantic Alliance, becoming its 31st member, in a historic realignment of Europe's defences spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine. IMAGES
NATO foreign ministers meet for the NATO-Ukraine Council foreign ministers' session. One of the issues on the agenda is military aid to Kyiv. It comes on the 75th anniversary of the alliance, menaced by an aggressive Russia and the spectre of Donald Trump's return to power. IMAGES
The NATO flag is hoisted at a military base in the Swedish capital Stockholm, symbolising the Nordic country's accession into the military alliance. On 7 March 2024, Sweden became the 32nd member of NATO in the shadow of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, turning the page on two centuries of non-alignment. IMAGES
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto signs Finland's NATO application letter in the Government Palace in Helsinki. The country will submit their bid to join the military alliance together with Sweden on Wednesday. IMAGES