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Finland formally joined the NATO military alliance on Tuesday in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, drawing a threat from Moscow of "countermeasures".
Finland's accession roughly doubles the length of the border that NATO shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by handing over an official document to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, welcoming Finland to its ranks, noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had cited opposing NATO expansion as one justification for his invasion.
The Kremlin said Russia would be forced to take "counter-measures" to Finland's accession. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further.
Russia said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland joining NATO.
The Ukrainian government also hailed Finland's move. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram: "FI made the right choice. NATO is also a key goal for Ukraine."
