A new flagpole at the NATO headquarters installed

NATO's Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, has announced that Finland will soon become the 31st member of the US-led NATO military alliance. The move comes after Turkey, the last member of NATO required to approve the proposal, passed a ratification vote. Stoltenberg boasted that the ratification process was the fastest in NATO's modern history and that it would occur within days. This speedy accession is not by chance, but rather closely linked to US plans for a spring offensive in Ukraine, which will be accompanied by a significant military buildup on Russia's border.

Officials and analysts have hailed Finland's entry into NATO as a potent military addition to the alliance and a strategic puzzle piece that can better help defend its vulnerable eastern flank from potential Russian aggression. "Now Finland needs NATO, but NATO needs Finland as well in the face of an aggressive Russia," said Jamie Shea, a former senior NATO official and current associate fellow at the Chatham House think tank. Shea also believes that NATO will find collective defense against Russia more accessible now that it has access to Finnish territory and the capabilities Finland brings to the table.

NATO's military planners have long been concerned about how to protect its three Baltic members - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - from a possible Russian attack. With Finland's membership in the alliance, NATO now has a more robust military force to counter any potential aggression from Russia. The move is likely to send a clear message to Moscow that NATO is prepared to defend its members and allies in the face of any threats to their security.