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Finland and Sweden could seek a NATO membership in the coming weeks, citing the changing geopolitical climate of Europe after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that the Nordic country would decide on whether to join the U.S.-led military alliance “within weeks.
At a joint press conference in Stockholm, Marin and her Swedish counterpart, Magdalena Andersson, said that everything had changed since Russia attacked Ukraine.
“I think people’s mindsets in Finland, also in Sweden, changed and [were] shaped very dramatically because of Russia’s actions,” Marin said. “This is very clear and that caused a need for a process in Finland to have a discussion about our own security choices.”
Andersson echoed Marin’s views and said there was “no point” in delaying analysis of whether it was right for Sweden to apply for Nato membership. “There is a before and after 24 February,” she said--referring to the date Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
“This is a very important time in history. The security landscape has completely changed. In this new situation, we have to analyze the situation to see what is best for Sweden’s security, for the Swedish people.”
Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) border with Russia. Finland declared independence in 1917 after more than a century of Russian rule. Its heavily outnumbered army fought off Soviet forces twice during the second world war before ceding some border territory. Sweden has not fought a war for 200 years.
Both the countries are officially non-aligned militarily but became NATO partners – taking part in exercises and exchanging intelligence – after abandoning their previous stance of strict neutrality when they joined the EU in 1995 after the end of the cold war.
(Inputs from The Guardian)