European Union / NATO / United Nations membership

It has been a long-term goal for Ukraine to join the European Union and NATO, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has the threat of NATO membership as part of his rationale for launching his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On April 4, 2023, Finland became part of NATO, issuing a blow to Putin and his stated fears about NATO being at the border with Russia. Many memes mockingly praise Putin for his expansion of NATO, the exact opposite of his stated goals.