SWEDEN: Sweden and Finland will jointly submit their North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership bids on Wednesday, according to Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. She noted during a press conference on Tuesday with visiting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto that joining NATO will boost security in Sweden and the Baltic Sea region.

Andersson explained that submitting joint applications with Finland "means that we can contribute to northern Europe's security." The security in the two countries is inextricably intertwined, and tight coordination has been critical, reports read.

"Our joint NATO application sends a message that we are committed to working together in the future." On Tuesday morning, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed the country's NATO membership application.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Monday that if NATO deploys military facilities on the Finnish or Swedish territory, Moscow will reply.

From May 17 to 18, Niinisto was in Sweden. According to the Swedish government, Andersson and Niinisto will meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday.

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