BREAKING: Finland to formally join NATO tomorrow, Jens Stoltenberg announces

Finland will formally join NATO tomorrow when the military alliance kicks off a crunch summit.

The Nordic nation applied for membership in May last year – just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.

All 30 existing member countries have now ratified the process – meaning Helsiniki will enjoy full protection of the nuclear-armed coalition from tomorrow.

Hailing a “historic and great day”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “Tomorrow we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO.”

Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, he added: “It will be a good day for Finland ‘s security and for NATO as a whole.”

Mr Stoltenberg said the move “demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open”.

He also pointed out that by invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin thought Moscow “would get less NATO”, adding: “In fact he is getting more NATO.”

We’ll be bringing you the latest updates on this Breaking Politics News story.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story HERE. Get email updates on the day’s biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters .

Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name.

• Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community – CLICK HERE

• Follow The Mirror on Google News – CLICK HERE and click the star

• Follow The Mirror on Apple News – CLICK HERE available on Apple devices

• Follow The Mirror on Flipboard – CLICK HERE and click follow

You can sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news here @MirrorBreaking_ and follow us https://twitter.com/MirrorPolitics for all the latest updates.

Keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MirrorPolitics/ . See all our social accounts you can follow here: mirror.co.uk/social

* Follow Mirror Politics on Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook