We have just submitted a NATO membership bill to parliament, and we have taken another step towards joining the alliance, Haavisto said at a press conference and was quoted by local television.

The document analyzes the main consequences of Finland’s entry into the military bloc, especially in the areas of foreign policy, security and defense, the foreign minister explained in a statement.

As a member of the alliance, Finland will have to comply with the provisions of the North Atlantic Treaty and participate in all its activities, he added.

For its part, the Russian Federation has repeatedly pointed out that NATO aims at confrontation.

Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that further expansion of the alliance would not bring more security to Europe.

At the same time, the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO would not become an existential threat to Russia, the Kremlin spokesman added.

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