Washington is committed to a move that would expand Russia’s military and expand the Western alliance from 30 to 32 as a direct result of President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. officials said NATO membership was a “topic of conversation and multiple meetings” for both Nordic countries during talks last week between the alliance’s foreign ministers, which included Sweden and Finland. “How can this be anything but a huge strategic blunder for Putin?” Said a senior US official. Finland’s application is expected in June and Sweden is expected to follow. Sanna Marin, the Prime Minister of Finland, said that the time had come
