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1 1 (April 7, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govelfo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional S£ Research Service NATO: Finland Joins as Sweden's Accession Faces Delay Updated April 7, 2023 On April 4, 2023, Finland acceded to NATO, enlarging the alliance to 31 members (see Figure 1). Amid heightened security concerns about Russia after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, both Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022 with the intention to accede to the alliance at the same time. Sweden's accession has been delayed by concerns raised by Turkey (Turkiye) and Hungary. The Biden Administration and many Members of Congress support NATO enlargement to both Finland and Sweden, viewing the addition of these two mature democracies with advanced militaries as enhancing Euro- Atlantic security and serving U.S. interests. Finland, Sweden, and NATO Enlargement Finland's and Sweden's applications to NATO marked a historic shift for these traditionally militarily nonaligned countries that for decades sought to balance political, economic, and cultural ties to the West and relations with Russia. After the Cold War, Finland and Sweden joined the European Union (EU) and established close partnerships with NATO. Both Finland and Sweden have participated in numerous NATO operations and have capable militaries that are interoperable with NATO. Public support for NATO accession-and the added security of NATO's Article 5 mutual defense clause-has skyrocketed in both countries since Russia's invasion of Ukraine; as of mid- to late 2022, polls indicated support at 78% in Finland and 64% in Sweden. U.S. officials from the Departments of State and Defense concur with Finnish and Swedish assertions that the two countries would strengthen NATO's defense posture, especially in the Baltic Sea region. Finland spends roughly 2% of its GDP on defense (as called for by NATO) and plans to increase defense spending in 2023; Sweden intends to meet NATO's 2% defense spending goal by 2026. Some analysts have expressed concern about NATO's ability to defend Finland's 830-mile border with Russia (which doubles NATO's overall borders with Russia). Finnish officials contend that Finland has long defended its own borders and will continue to do so as a NATO member. Finland and Sweden also have strong traditions of societal resilience and substantial experience dealing with Russian disinformation efforts, cyberattacks, and hybrid threats. Russia has largely sought to downplay concerns about Finnish and Swedish accession to NATO, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned NATO Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11949 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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