MADRID

The NATO accession protocol for Sweden and Finland will be signed on Tuesday, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

"We are going to formally sign the accession protocol on Tuesday, with the presence of the foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland, but the decision has already been made," Stoltenberg said during his last press conference at the Madrid Summit.

After the signing, the protocol must be ratified by all 30 allied parliaments to allow both countries to become part of NATO.


The Nordic countries were officially invited to the alliance following a trilateral memorandum signed by Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden on Tuesday.

The memorandum addresses Türkiye's concerns, including arms exports and the fight against terrorism.

Regarding Russia's war in Ukraine, Stoltenberg said: "(President Vladimir) Putin has to withdraw his forces and end this war immediately."

"NATO has to provide support to Ukraine, but it also has a co-responsibility to prevent an escalation beyond Ukraine," he said.

"If this escalates to a war between NATO and Russia, we will see suffering, damage, and death on a scale we haven't seen yet," the NATO chief added.