NATO expansion sparks security concern

Finland officially became the 31st member of the NATO in April after winning approval from all member states. After the Russia-Ukraine conflict started in February 2022, Sweden and Finland submitted applications to join NATO in May 2022.

The NATO-Ukraine Council held its first meeting at the foreign ministers' level in November. According to the council, NATO and Ukraine are already working on a broad range of issues, including interoperability, energy security, innovation, cyber defense, and resilience.

Analysts caution that NATO's expansion and its responses to the Russia-Ukraine conflict could potentially jeopardize global security by triggering significant socioeconomic and political transformations.