Finland and Sweden could join NATO quickly, Stoltenberg says

FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks as he meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured) at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium April 6, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden will be able to join NATO quickly should they decide to ask for membership in the Western military alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

"If they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed and I expect the process to go quickly," Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, adding he planned to speak with the Finnish president later in the day.