HELSINKI (AP) – Finnish leaders said on Thursday that they support a swift application for NATO membership, paving the way for a historic expansion of the alliance that could deal a serious blow to Russia as its military fights the war in Ukraine.
The announcement by President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin means that Finland is almost certain to join the Western military alliance, although several steps remain before the application process begins. Neighboring Sweden is expected to decide on NATO membership in the coming days.
“NATO membership will strengthen Finland’s security. As a member of NATO, Finland will strengthen the entire defense alliance, “Niinisto and Marin said in a joint statement.
“Finland must apply for NATO membership immediately,” they said. “We hope that the national steps that are still needed to make this decision will be taken quickly in the next few days.
Russia has reacted to the development with a warning. Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Finland’s accession to NATO “would cause serious damage to Russian-Finnish relations, as well as to stability and security in northern Europe.”
“Russia will be forced to take retaliatory measures with military-technical and other characteristics in order to counter the emerging threats to its national security,” the ministry said.
“History will determine why Finland had to turn its territory into a stronghold of a military confrontation with Russia, while losing its independence in making its own decisions,” he added.
Before the ministry released its statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Finland’s decision would not help stability and security in Europe. Peskov said Russia’s response would depend on NATO’s efforts to expand its infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders.
Finland has the longest border with Russia of all 27 members of the European Union.
The Kremlin had previously warned of “military and political consequences” if Sweden and Finland decided to join NATO. If they seek to join the alliance, there will be an intermediate period from the time applications are submitted until ratification by legislators in all 30 existing Member States.
In Estonia, a NATO member that also borders Russia, Prime Minister Kaya Kallas tweeted that “history is made by our northern neighbors.” She pledged to support Finland’s “rapid accession process” to NATO.
Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde tweeted that Finland’s announcement conveyed an “important message”.
Finland’s announcement came a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Finland and Sweden to sign a military co-operation agreement.
The United Kingdom promised on Wednesday to come to the aid of Sweden and Finland if the two Scandinavian countries are attacked.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Johnson in Helsinki this week, Niinisto said Moscow could blame itself if its 5.5 million nation became a member of NATO.
“It simply came to our notice then. “Look in the mirror,” the Finnish head of state said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Niinisto tweeted that he had talked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Finland’s strong support for Ukraine and the country’s intention to join NATO. Niinisto said Zelensky “expressed his full support for this.”
In 2017, Sweden and Finland joined the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, which is designed to be more flexible and responsive than NATO’s larger alliance. The forces use NATO standards and doctrines to work with the Alliance, the United Nations or other multinational coalitions.
Fully operational since 2018, the force has conducted a number of exercises, both on its own and in cooperation with NATO.
Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has prompted Finland and Sweden to reconsider their non-military traditions and consider joining NATO. Public opinion in both countries quickly began to turn to favoring membership, first in Finland and a little later in Sweden after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th.
The latest opinion poll conducted by Finnish public television YLE showed earlier this week that 76% of Finns are in favor of joining NATO, a big change from previous years, when only 20-30% of respondents supported such a military position.
Speaking to MEPs on Thursday, when Niinisto and Marin made their statement, Finnish Foreign Minister Peka Haavisto said that Russia’s unpredictable behavior was a serious concern for Finland. He noted Moscow’s readiness to conduct “high-risk operations” that could lead to many casualties, including among Russians.
If Finland becomes a member of NATO, it will be the biggest change in the Scandinavian country’s defense and security policy since World War II, when it fought against the Soviet Union.
During the Cold War, Finland stayed away from NATO to avoid provoking the Soviet Union, instead choosing to remain a neutral buffer between East and West, while maintaining good relations with Moscow and the United States.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the military alliance will welcome Finland and Sweden – both of which have strong, modern militaries – with open arms, and he expects the accession process to be quick and smooth.
NATO officials say the Scandinavian duo’s accession process could be completed “in a few weeks”. The most time-consuming part of the procedure – the ratification of the country’s protocol by existing NATO members – could be completed in less than the four months it took West Germany, Turkey and Greece to join in the 1950s. century, when there were only 12 members to ratify their applications.
“These are not normal times,” a NATO spokesman said this week, discussing possible candidacies for Finland and Sweden. The official informed reporters about the accession process, provided he was not named, as no request had been made by either side.
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Lorne Cook in Brussels and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
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