The 30 NATO allies are set to sign off on the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland on Tuesday, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals. The move will further increase Russia's strategic isolation in the wake of its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February and military struggles there since.
The 30 ambassadors and permanent representatives are to formally approve the decisions of last week's NATO summit when the alliance made the historic decision to invite Russia's neighbor Finland and Scandinavian partner Sweden to join the military club.
Despite the agreement in the alliance, parliamentary approval in member state Turkey could still pose problems for their final inclusion as members.