While NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg added that “Ukraine can win this war. Ukrainians are bravely defending their homeland”.
The pledge came as Western intelligence revealed that Russia has suffered huge military losses and had been held back from its desire to overtake the east due to stiff local resistance.
Displeased with the Nordic countries application to join NATO, Russia has repeatedly warned of "serious consequences" for Finland and Sweden, saying it would have to strengthen its land, naval and air forces including by deploying nuclear weapons.
However, the president of Finland, confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply to join NATO, declared a "new era" was underway.
President Sauli Niinistö said, it was “a historic day” for the Nordic country.
“A new era is opening,” Niinistö said. “A protected Finland is being born as part of a stable, strong and responsible Nordic region. We gain security, and we also share it. It’s good to keep in mind that security isn’t a zero-sum game.”
A few hours later, Sweden submitted its bid to join NATO, with Prime Minister Magadalena Andersson saying the Kremlin only had itself to blame.
"The Kremlin has shown that they are prepared to use violence to achieve their political objectives and that they don't hesitate to take enormous risks," she said in a statement read out in English and referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"With this in mind, our conclusion is that as a member of NATO, Sweden will not only achieve more security but also contribute to more security."
"Our 200-year-long standing policy of military non-alignment has served Sweden well, but the issue at hand is whether military non-alignment will keep serving us well," the Swedish prime minister said.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin warned his Finnish counterpart on Saturday that relations would be "negatively affected".
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