The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO) has invited Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed both European countries to drop their neutral status.

On Wednesday, NATO allies decided at their summit in Madrid and also agreed to consider Russia as the “most significant and direct threat to the allies’ security.” 

“Today, we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO,” the bloc’s leaders said in a declaration. 

The legislatures of all 30 current members must ratify the accession, which could take several months. The candidates must formally accept the responsibilities of membership, and current member states will sign an Accession Protocol to be ratified in their own countries.

Once settled, Finland, which shares a 1,300 km border with Russia, and Sweden will bring well-trained militaries into the alliance and be covered by the United States’ nuclear program.

Sweden and Finland both announced their intention to join NATO in May, but the process stalled due to tensions between both countries and Turkiye. The acceptance of both countries came after Turkiye lifted a veto on Finland and Sweden joining. 

On Tuesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan exchanged his acceptance in return for a set of actions both Finland and Sweden will take against the P.K.K., an insurgent group that has killed civilians in Turkiye, and has been designated by both the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organisation.