Finland’s president and prime minister announced their support for the country’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Thursday, moving the Nordic nation, which shares a 1,300km border with Russia, a step closer to joining the US-led military alliance.
The declaration of support for NATO by President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin was expected, after the Finnish government recently presented a report on national security to the country’s parliament that outlined the path to joining the alliance as one of Finland’s options. .
“Joining NATO would strengthen Finland’s security. As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance. Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay. We hope that the national measures still necessary for the decision will be taken quickly in the coming days”, declared the country’s leaders in a statement.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, public support for Finland’s NATO membership has jumped from around 30% to nearly 80% in some polls.
Once parliament has approved the idea in principle and any other domestic legislative hurdles have been overcome, NATO is expected to invite Finland to negotiate its membership.
Sweden, Finland’s neighbor to the west, is also expected to soon announce its intention to join the alliance through a similar process.
Russia warned the two countries against joining NATO, saying there would be consequences.
European diplomats and security officials widely assume that Finland could join the alliance quickly once negotiations begin, as it has been buying military equipment from its Western allies, including the US, for decades and already meets many of the membership criteria.
Finland’s accession to NATO would have practical and symbolic consequences for Russia and the Western alliance.
Since the end of World War II, Finland has been militarily non-aligned and nominally neutral to avoid provoking Russia. At times, he gave in to the Kremlin’s security concerns and tried to maintain good business relationships.
The war in Ukraine, however, has changed the calculus, so joining NATO now seems like the best way forward, regardless of what Russia’s reaction may be.
European defense authorities who spoke to the CNN in recent months assume that NATO countries will offer some guarantees around Finland’s security during the accession process, should Russia retaliate.
On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new security pacts with Finland and Sweden, pledging to help either country if either is attacked.
Finland has historically had high defense spending and still has a conscription policy, with all adult males subject to being drafted into the military.
It is widely recognized among NATO officials that Finland’s accession to the alliance would be a significant boost in combating Russian aggression because of the seriousness with which the country has historically treated its own security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move could result in a stronger NATO.
Source: CNN Brasil
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