Their support for NATO membership The President and the Prime Minister of Finland announced today.
The Nordic nation, which shares an 800-mile border with Russia, is now one step closer to joining the US-led military alliance.
“Finland must apply for NATO membership without delaySaid Mr Niinistστε and Ms Marin in a joint statement.
The statement of support for NATO by President Sauli Niinistστε and Prime Minister Sanna Marin was expected, as the Finnish government recently submitted a national security report to the country’s parliament.
The two leaders make it clear that Finland’s decision will be announced on Sunday in the North Atlantic Alliance.
“Being a member of NATO would strengthen Finland’s security. As a NATO member, Finland would strengthen the alliance as a whole. Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” Niinisto and Marin said in a joint statement. their.
“We hope that the steps at the national level that are still needed to make this decision will be done quickly within the next few days,” they added.
Mr Niniste, a regular interlocutor of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, as well as Social Democrat Marin, have made it clear that Finland has decided to join the Atlantic Alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is recalled that in the coming days, Sweden’s decision on possible NATO membership is expected, with the relevant announcements. to most likely take place on Sunday
The accession of Finland, like that of Sweden, is considered to take place in the summer.
Why are Sweden and Finland not members of NATO?
Both countries remain non-aligned after World War II despite having small military forces relative to Russia.
Finland gained its independence from Russia in 1917 and fought two wars against it in World War II, during which it lost part of its territory to Moscow. Finland signed a Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Aid Agreement with Russia in 1948, consolidating a degree of economic and political dependence and remaining militarily isolated from Western Europe.
The end of the Cold War, which led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, allowed Finland to emerge from Russia’s shadow as the threat from Moscow diminished.
Helsinki relied on its own military deterrence and friendly relations with Moscow to maintain peace. But with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “military special operation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin seems far from friendly.
Sweden has not been at war for 200 years and post-war foreign policy has focused on supporting democracy internationally, multilateral dialogue and nuclear disarmament.
Stockholm reduced its army after the Cold War, hoping that in the event of war it could delay Russian advance until aid arrived. Putin’s attack on Ukraine has made the bailout much more attractive.
However, many on the left in Sweden remain skeptical of the US and NATO security agenda, which ultimately builds on the deterrent provided by the US nuclear arsenal.
Both Finland and Sweden switched from formal neutrality to military non-alignment in 1995 when they joined the European Union.
Both have become increasingly close to NATO in recent years, exchanging information and participating in alliance exercises in response to an increasingly belligerent Russia.
Joining the Alliance will bring Sweden and Finland under the umbrella of Article 5, which guarantees that an attack on a NATO ally is an attack on everyone.
How broad is the support for NATO membership?
Polls show that a significant majority of Swedes support NATO membership, a support of more than 60% in the last poll, and there is a majority in Parliament to approve an application to the Alliance.
Sweden’s Social Democrats – the largest party in power for most of the last century – have long argued for military non-alignment, but on Sunday reconsidered their objections with a decision on whether to join now. They are widely expected to support integration.
The Swedish Left Party – a former communist party – remains opposed to membership, as is the Green Party, but if the Social Democrats change their stance, this would create an overwhelming majority in parliament in favor of membership.
Polls show support for Finland’s accession is even stronger than in Sweden, with many Finns taking into account the country’s long land border with Russia, while Parliament’s support for an application is also wide.
The Finnish parliament’s defense committee said this week that NATO membership was the best option for Finland to guarantee its national security.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto is expected to announce his position on NATO membership on Thursday, while Prime Minister Sana Marin also appears to express her views. Both are widely expected to support the application.
What does Russia say?
Moscow has repeatedly warned of “serious consequences” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, saying it would strengthen its land, naval and air forces in the Baltic Sea and raise the possibility of developing nuclear weapons in the region.
The Kola Peninsula, in northwestern Russia, in the Arctic, east of the border with Finland and Norway, is a “strategic stronghold” that Moscow considers key to its national security and is also the base of Russia’s Northern Fleet.
Russia’s second largest city, St. Petersburg, is located approximately 170 km from the border with Finland.
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