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HELSINKI (dpa-AFX) – In view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Finland’s political leadership is calling for the country to join NATO as soon as possible. President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin spoke out clearly in favor of membership in the western military alliance on Thursday. It is hoped that the formal decisions still required for an application will be made in the next few days. For Finland, which has been non-aligned for a long time, the step would be historic. Accession would double the NATO border with Russia in one fell swoop.
Neighboring Russia reacted critically. “Another expansion of NATO will not make our continent more stable and secure,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Interfax agency. “NATO is moving in our direction,” said Peskow. Everything now depends on how NATO expansion develops and what military infrastructure is moved to the borders.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 triggered a debate in Finland and neighboring Sweden about joining NATO. Niinistö and Marin referred to the “important discussion” that took place. It took the time for that. NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security, they write. “As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance,” the two said, before concluding: “Finland must apply for NATO membership immediately.” It is expected that Finland will decide to formally apply for membership very soon – probably on Sunday.
There were positive reactions in Northern Europe, the Baltic States and also in Germany. “I’m happy about this great historic day!” Said Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth, also spoke on Twitter of a “really historic moment”.
The northernmost country in the EU has a border with Russia that is more than 1,300 kilometers long, and the two countries also share a complex and checkered history. Finland joining NATO would be a direct consequence of the Russian attack on Ukraine, which has led to a rapid change of opinion in Finland regarding possible NATO membership. In a survey by the Yle broadcaster, 76 percent were in favor of it.
At the same time, the positioning of Niinistö and Marin increases the pressure on Sweden to decide quickly on the NATO question, like its Finnish neighbor. Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist and Foreign Minister Ann Linde made it clear on Thursday that Finland’s position also has an impact on the Swedish decision.
A security analysis is expected in Sweden on Friday, which will serve as the basis for such a decision. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s ruling Social Democrats want to announce their own position on the matter on Sunday. According to information from the newspaper “Expressen”, there will be a special government meeting on Monday for a formal NATO decision – if nothing unforeseen happens, the Swedish application will be submitted on the same day, the newspaper reported.
Finland and Sweden are already close partners of NATO, but have not yet become official members. If Finland joins, the alliance would move closer to key Russian territories such as the Kola Peninsula and metropolitan St. Petersburg. For the Finns, the most important advantage of membership will be the collective defense enshrined in Article 5 of NATO – as a mere NATO partner they have not yet had this security.
Before countries can be admitted to NATO, all 30 current members must agree. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has recently signaled several times that there is broad support for this within the alliance. A NATO employee in Brussels recently made it clear that the approval process should be completed within a few weeks. According to him, it could only take about two weeks from the application to the signing of the accession protocols.
After the completion of the admission procedure within NATO, the accession protocols still have to be ratified in the 30 alliance states. According to estimates by diplomats, this process can be completed in six to eight months./trs/DP/eas