By Justin Malone, Staff Writer Finland officially became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on April 4, signaling a major shift in the European security landscape triggered by the war in Ukraine. The Nordic nation’s accession into NATO, the world’s largest peacetime security alliance, was formally declared during a ceremony at the organization’s headquarters in Brussels on the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Washington Treaty, which established the defense alliance. At the event, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö presented the nation’s instrument of accession to U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, completing the … Continue reading Finland joins NATO in European power shake-up