Finland
Sweden, also nonaligned, moved a step closer to applying for NATO membership after the governing Social Democratic party met Sunday and backed joining the trans-Atlantic alliance.
The Kremlin warned it may take retaliatory “military-technical” steps after Finland’s leaders said they favor joining NATO.
The nation's president and prime minister announced that Finland should apply right away for to join the military defense pact founded in part to counter the Soviet Union.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has also prompted a rethink of staunch military neutrality by Sweden.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
The announcement paves the way for the alliance to expand amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
The radioactive waste question has bedeviled the energy sector and made nuclear power controversial, but the Finns have a plan to dispose of it for 100,000 years.
And that's exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to happen.
Through the Cold War and the decades since, nothing could persuade Finns and Swedes that they would be better off joining NATO — until Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who is fully vaccinated, was initially told she did not need to isolate ... so, she decided to party until 4 a.m.
The Finnish canine coronavirus detectors can sense the virus by sniffing the neck sweat of travelers.