Briefly

NATO

Accession deal signed for Finland, Sweden

NATO's 30 allies signed an accession protocol for Finland and Sweden on Tuesday to allow them to join the alliance once allied parliaments ratify the decision. The signing at NATO headquarters follows a deal with Turkey at last week's NATO summit in Madrid. The protocol means Helsinki and Stockholm can participate in NATO meetings and have greater access to intelligence, but will not be protected by the NATO defense clause that an attack on one ally is an attack against all until ratification, which is likely to take up to a year.