Finland is set to become the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg added that he hoped Sweden will soon follow. Finland’s admission to NATO comes as the the parliamentary election in Finland sees the ouster of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Social Democratic Party in favor of the center-right National Coalition Party (NCP). Both parties favored the country joining NATO and support Ukraine. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said of Finland’s admission to NATO, “We will strengthen our military potential in the west and in the northwest. In case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland, we will take additional steps to ensure Russia’s military security.â€
