Sweden and Finland make moves to join Nato

Public support for western alliance doubled in both countries after Russia invaded Ukraine, find polls

Sweden's ruling party has begun debating whether the country should join Nato, and neighbouring Finland expects to reach a decision within weeks, as Moscow warned that the Nordic nations' accession would not bring stability" to Europe.

Both countries are officially non-aligned militarily, but public support for Nato membership has almost doubled since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to about 50% in Sweden and 60% in Finland, multiple opinion polls suggest.