HELSINKI, March 31, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Thursday thanked NATO's 30 member states for supporting his country's bid to join the alliance in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I want to thank every one of them for their trust and support. Finland will be a strong and capable ally, committed to the security of the alliance," he said in a statement released on Twitter.