Finland joins NATO as the war in Ukraine continues

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Tuesday, Finland officially joined the NATO military alliance. “A new era begins,” President of Finland Sauli Niinistö said. Finland’s President stood alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other NATO officials for the historic event. “We can now declare that Finland is the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” Blinken said. The new membership significantly increases Russia’s border with the alliance and is a direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “I’m tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr. Putin for,” Blinken said. Russian President Vladimir Putin considers…