The Turkish parliament has approved Finland’s application to join NATO, clearing the path for Finland to join the alliance.
Nato is the defensive alliance of North American and European nations whose members are presently assisting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Last year, Finland, along with its neighbour Sweden, asked to join the bloc out of worry for Russian aggressiveness. Turkey was the final nation to grant access.
What exactly is NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded in 1949 by twelve countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and France.
It presently has 30 members who have agreed to assist one another if attacked.
The original purpose of the organisation was to oppose Russian expansion in Europe following World War II.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, a number of former Warsaw Pact partners in Eastern Europe were granted NATO membership.
Moscow has contended for decades that NATO’s inclusion of Eastern European nations poses a threat to its security. Moscow has aggressively opposed Ukraine’s request to join the alliance because of concern that it would infringe on its territory.
Why are Finland and Sweden interested in joining NATO?
Finland’s land border with Russia is 1,340 kilometres (832 miles), while Sweden’s is across the Baltic Sea.
Both countries believed it was safer to stay nonaligned than to join NATO in opposition to Russia for seven decades.
But, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they both requested membership in the alliance immediately.
The two nations would add 280,000 troops (including reservists) and over 200 combat aircraft to NATO’s combined strength.
All present NATO members must vote in their respective parliaments to approve new members. Hungary and Turkey were the final nations to vote in favour of Finland’s accession.
Hungary accomplished this on March 27 and Turkey on March 30.
Why was Turkey’s vote so crucial to Finland and Sweden’s decision to join?
When Finland and Sweden wanted to join NATO, the Turkish government warned that they were harbouring “terrorist” Turkish nationals. It demanded that they be extradited.
Although Sweden was the primary target of Turkey’s accusations, Finland independently negotiated a settlement with Turkey.
Turkey now aspires to join NATO in time for the bloc’s summit in Lithuania in July.
Nonetheless, Ankara continues to criticise Sweden for harbouring “Kurdish insurgents,” and neither the governments of Turkey nor Hungary have yet requested their respective legislatures to authorise its admittance.
Erdogan seals the deal for Finland to join NATO
How are NATO nations assisting Ukraine?
Many alliance members have supplied Ukraine with arms and ammunition to aid in its defence against Russia.
The United States is deploying 31 Abrams tanks, the United Kingdom is sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks, Germany is sending 14 Leopard 2 tanks, and Norway is sending eight Leopard 2 tanks.
In addition, the United States has provided armoured combat vehicles such as the Stryker and the Bradley.
In addition, the United States and the United Kingdom have provided Ukraine with long-range missile systems, such as Himars, which have struck targets behind Russia’s front lines.
Various NATO nations have supplied Ukraine with howitzers and self-propelled artillery, while Turkey has delivered Ukraine a number of armed Bayraktar TB2 drones.
The United States and others have provided air defence systems to intercept Russian cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles over Ukraine.
Anti-tank weaponry supplied by the United States and the United Kingdom, such as Javelin and Nlaw, were important in halting Russia’s march on the capital of Ukraine in the spring of 2022.
Also, NATO nations intend to increase their supplies of artillery rounds and ammunition to Ukraine.
What types of weapons are given to Ukraine?
Why won’t NATO nations provide Ukraine with additional assistance?
Poland and Slovakia are giving Ukraine Mig fighter jets from the Soviet era, but NATO nations are not providing the American-made F-16s that Ukraine has requested.
Nato nations are also concerned that if Ukraine were to use these jets to attack targets within Russia, it may drag them further into the conflict.
For fear of starting a direct clash with Russia, NATO countries are not sending soldiers to Ukraine or enforcing a no-fly zone over the country.
In the territories of alliance members such as Lithuania and Poland, NATO nations have now stationed 40,000 troops in eastern Europe.
In addition, an additional 300,000 troops are on high alert across Europe.
Five scenarios for the Ukrainian conflict in 2023
Why is Ukraine not part of NATO?
Ukraine was promised in 2008 that it may join NATO in the future, but its current request for “fast-track” membership was denied.
According to Article 5 of the NATO charter, if one member is attacked, all other members must come to its defence.
If Ukraine joined NATO, its members would be technically obligated to go to war with Russia.
