section_path: NATO Secretary General (2014–2024)/Accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO
section_name: Accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO
paragraph_text: Accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO
  
  In May 2022 Stoltenberg said Finland and Sweden would be welcomed "with open arms" to NATO if they apply for membership to the alliance. While most current NATO members responded positively to the applications, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced his opposition, accusing both Finland and Sweden of tolerating Kurdish militant groups PKK and the YPG, which Turkey classifies as terrorist organizations, and followers of Fethullah Gülen, whom Turkey accuses of orchestrating a failed 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt. Stoltenberg said that Turkey has "legitimate concerns" about Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.
  
  In June, Stoltenberg warned that the war in Ukraine could last for years, saying that "We must not let up in supporting Ukraine. Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices."
  
  On 30 November at the Bucharest meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, were invited their counterparts from Moldova, Bosnia and Georgia, as well as Finland and Sweden. In his closing press conference Stoltenberg said that NATO expressed its solidarity with all three partners and also that "if there is one lesson learned from Ukraine it is that we need to support them now. The more support we are able to provide to these countries. The more support we are able to provide to these countries... under Russian pressure and influence in different ways... it is much better to support them now than when we have seen developments going in absolutely the wrong direction as we saw with the invasion of Ukraine earlier this year."
  
  In December, he said in an interview that "there is no doubt that a full-fledged" war between Russia and NATO is a "possibility". Stoltenberg said that Putin is planning a long war in Ukraine and is ready to launch new offensives.