Turkey, Sweden and Finland sign off Nordic countries' NATO bids

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David M. Herszenhorn, Chief Brussels correspondent for POLITICO Europe, made the claim on Twitter. Mr Herszenhorn argued that Finland and Sweden joining NATO showed that Russia had failed in one of its objectives to prevent new countries joining the organisation.

He said: “President Putin did not succeed in closing NATO’s door.

“NATO’s door remains open.”

One of the pretexts for what the Kremlin calls its “special operation” in Ukraine was to prevent Kyiv from joining NATO.

However, shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, both Finland and Sweden expressed an interest in joining NATO.

Turkey had initially blocked the accession of the two Scandinavian nations, claiming that they supported what it regarded as Kurdish terrorist groups including the Kurdistan Workers Party( PKK).

However, it was announced on Tuesday that Ankara had dropped its objection allowing both countries to proceed to full membership.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Finland and Sweden had pledged to address Turkey’s “concerns”.

He said: “I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

“Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey’s concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism.”

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told Agence France-Presse that it was a “very good agreement”.

She said: “Taking the next step toward a full NATO membership is of course important for Sweden and Finland.

“But it’s also a very important step for NATO, because our countries will be security providers within NATO. 

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“And of course, we will continue our fight against terrorism and as NATO members also do so with closer cooperation with Turkey.”

But there has been an angry reaction in Moscow to the news.

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov described the move as “irresponsible” when talking to reporters on Wednesday.

He said: “We condemn the irresponsible course of the North Atlantic Alliance that is ruining the European architecture, or what’s left of it.

“I have a great deal of doubt as to whether the upcoming period will be calm for our north European neighbours.”

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