Finland, Russia's neighbor, formally announces it wants to join NATO

Berlin — Top NATO diplomats, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, gathered Sunday in Berlin as Finland announced it would apply to join the Western alliance, almost three months after Russia shocked the world by invading Ukraine.

Sweden's governing party plans to announce its position on seeking NATO membership later Sunday. The two nonaligned Nordic nations becoming part of the alliance would pose an affront to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has justified the war in Ukraine by claiming it was a response to NATO's expansion in Eastern Europe.

Russia's military now faces a bogged-down war, the prospect of a bigger NATO and a defending country buoyed by its win in a hugely popular pan-European music competition Sunday.