According to The Times, the United States expects that against the backdrop of the Russian war in Ukraine, Finland in June 2022 apply for NATO membershipSweden will follow suit.
It is noted that the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO was a topic for discussion and numerous meetings during negotiations between the foreign ministers of the Alliance April 6-7 in Brussels, attended by representatives of both Scandinavian countries.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said it was time for her country to reconsider its position on NATO, calling for a decision “thoroughly but quickly.” Russia, she said, “is not the neighbor we thought we were.”
Sweden, according to The Times, is also reviewing its security policy. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said earlier that she “does not rule out membership in NATO.”
“We have repeatedly said that the Alliance itself is more of a tool sharpened for confrontation. This is not the Alliance that ensures peace and stability, and further expansion of the Alliance, of course, will not bring additional security to the European continent,” Vladimir Putin’s speaker responded .
As of today, NATO has 40,000 troops under direct command on Europe’s eastern flank, from the Baltic to the Black Seas. This is 10 times more than before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
In Finland, a possible entry into NATO started discussing against the backdrop of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke CNN April 4 that if Finland and Sweden apply for NATO membership, the Alliance is able to quickly accept them.
Russia warned Finland and Sweden against joining NATO. “If one side – and one side we consider NATO – is stronger than the other, especially in terms of nuclear weapons, then this will be considered a threat to the entire security architecture and will force us to take additional measures,” he said in an April 8 interview. Sky News Peskov.
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