SWEDEN and Finland have been cleared to join NATO after they applied following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It comes as the alliance has said they will deploy over 300,000 troops in a showdown with Vladimir Putin in what will be the biggest force since the Cold War.

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The sharp increase in “high readiness” troops comes in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, who are not a member of NATO.

Jens Stoltenberg speaking at a briefing at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday said:

“Together, this constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defence since the Cold War.

“We will transform the NATO Response Force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000.”

Jens added that the 30-member alliance is expected to consider Russia to be “the most significant and direct threat to our security”.

It’s feared Putin could lash out at Nato, in particular Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which were once ruled from Moscow.

And the NATO chief also confirmed the strengthening of units deployed across eight eastern and south-eastern NATO countries to deter Russia hostilities.

They will rise in size from 1,000-strong battlegroups to brigades, which comprise around 3,000-5,000 troops.

Leaders will also discuss plans to bolster the alliance’s eastern flank, outline a new force model, announce funding decisions and publish a “Strategic Compact” that lays out NATO’s strategy for the years ahead, according to NATO diplomats.

The NATO Response Force is currently around 40,000 soldiers, sailors and air personnel.

They are kept at varying degrees of readiness to mobilise, ranging from two days to six months.

It comes after The Sun reported that NATO is set to create a new 200,000 strong force to “wipe Russia off the earth” if Putin invades an ally country.

The new Allied Reaction Force (ARF) will be a six times larger than the current formation that stands ready to repel Russian aggression, the NATO Response Force (NRF).

NATO’s political and military leaders have sought to use the Russian aggression to galvanise the alliance.

British general Sir Patrick Sanders issued a rallying call to troops to prepare to fight and beat Russian forces in a Third World War when he recently took command of the UK’s land forces.

And Russia have their own plans as a Kremlin warship recently violated NATO waters twice in what was described as an “unacceptable provocation”.

Meanwhile, an ally of Putin has threatened to nuke Britain into extinction in a Third World War and warned Nato is “playing with fire”.

Buzhinsky’s chilling comments come as Lithuania – a Nato country – is restricting the movement of goods out of Russian territory.