Finland joins NATO as Foreign Ministers renew pressure on China

A review of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, Brussels, 4-5 April 2023

The two-day NATO Foreign Ministerial meeting in Brussels accepted the formal accession of Finland to the alliance. In addition, four other main issues were discussed: Continuing support to Ukraine; The global consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the growing influence of Russia and China; Threats and challenges in the South, including instability, terrorism and the growing influence of Iran; and Investing more in defence. The key activities and decisions taken by the NATO Foreign Ministers were as follows:

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto took up Finland’s seat among NATO allies for the first time on 4 April – the alliance’s seventy-fourth anniversary. NATO’s frontier with Russia has grown more than 800 miles with the addition of its 31st member, Finland.
NATO Foreign Ministers reconfirmed strong support for Ukraine and agreed to start work on a multi-year support programme. But despite repeatedly stating its desire to be a part of NATO, the path towards membership remains vague (15 years after NATO first agreed to accept Ukraine and Georgia as members of the alliance).
Deepening cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea is anticipated in areas such as cyber defence, new technologies and countering disinformation.
It was deemed important to continue to increase military spending. At the Vilnius Summit, a new military investment pledge is likely to be approved, with 2% “as a floor not a ceiling”.
The long-term challenges posed by China were discussed, but seemingly no new policy commitments were made.