Likely steps in Swedish, Finnish NATO bids
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed Finland and Sweden to the point of applying for membership of the 30-nation NATO alliance
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1 MEMBERSHIP REQUEST Finland and Sweden ask to join NATO, ideally together, by sending letters to alliance headquarters in Brussels

2 NATO ALLIES MEET Request likely accepted by 30 nations – Finland and Sweden seen as successful democracies with militaries that meet NATO standard

3 MEMBERSHIP TALKS Could take as little as one day for each country – both must agree to respect terms of NATO’s founding Washington Treaty (below)

4 ALLIES MEET AGAIN Countries likely granted
NATO membership, giving them observer status at allied meetings but not collective defence guarantee

5 RATIFICATION Required by all allied parliaments – can take anywhere between four months to one year

6 “INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSION”
Must be deposited by both countries at U.S. Department of State, finally making them NATO allies

“Contribute to security of North Atlantic area” – both countries already considered to meet treaty demand

Uphold Article 5 – NATO’s collective defence pledge that says attack on one ally is attack on all

Agree to pay share of NATO budgets, take part in defence planning and respect rules on classified information
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Source: Reuters
Picture: Getty Images
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