In applying to NATO, Finland and Sweden give the lie to Putin’s claims

of and to apply for membership of is a damning rebuke to the strategic foresight of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. Two countries proud of their long history of military non-alignment have come to judge that the risk of antagonising their neighbour is outweighed by the extra security they will gain from joining an alliance dedicated to resisting Russian aggression. It is the direct result of the invasion of Ukraine, which Mr Putin ordered ostensibly to forestall ’s expansion. It is also a rebuke to those who argue that shares in the blame for the war. Mr Putin is not alone in arguing that the alliance’s expansion into central and eastern Europe after the cold war somehow made Russia’s position intolerable. Plenty of . However, the choice of Finland and Sweden suggests that they have the argument upside down. Countries seek to join because they are , not to antagonise it.