Finnish President Sauli Niinistö called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday about Finland’s plans to join NATO. In the phone call, Niinistö emphasized how neighboring Russia’s attack on Ukraine has compromised Finland’s security, report Finnish media† The Finnish government will reportedly decide on Sunday whether to make a request. The decision will be announced on Monday.
The telephone conversation between the two leaders was “immediate and without annoyance,” Niinistö said afterwards. “Avoidance of tension was important.” Finland has so far not joined the alliance so as not to provoke Russia. Putin responded that he thinks it would be a mistake for Finland to give up its neutral status and join NATO, the Kremlin reports. “The change could negatively affect years of good cooperation,” Putin said.
The Russian president said there are no security threats to Finland. Earlier on Saturday, Russia’s foreign secretary, Aleksandr Groushko, said Finland’s accession to NATO would increase security tensions in the area, according to the AP news agency.
There is a lot of support within the Finnish government for joining the military alliance. President Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin wrote earlier this week that they want to join NATO “as soon as possible”. On Saturday, the leader of the social-democratic party Antti Lindtman also said: Twitter that after the Russian invasion on February 24, Finland “must not take the slightest risk of being left alone with Russia.” Finland shares more than 1,300 kilometers of border with Russia.
This article is also part of our live blog: Finland’s president calls Putin about NATO accession plans