Finland, Sweden to decide whether to join NATO amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
April 13, 2022, 3:05 pm

Finland, Sweden to decide whether to join NATO amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington, United States (File photo: Nato Facebook page)

The Global News reported, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday (Apr 13), Finland will make a decision about whether to apply to join the 30-member NATO alliance in the next few weeks.

Until now, Finland and fellow Nordic state and neighbor Sweden have shied away from joining NATO, the U.S.-led alliance founded in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced an urgent rethink.

Marin told reporters in a joint news conference in Stockholm with her Swedish counterpart: “There are different perspectives to apply (for) NATO membership or not to apply and we have to analyze these very carefully."

“But I think our process will be quite fast, it will happen in weeks,” said Marin, whose country shares a long border with Russia to the east.

Finland’s government will publish an update of its foreign and security policy in a white paper later on Wednesday (Apr 13).

Sweden is also reviewing its security policy with conclusions expected toward the end of May.

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Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said it was important to carry out a thorough analysis of whether Sweden should also apply to join NATO.

She said: “There are of course pros and cons with being a member of NATO as there are pros and cons of other security choices."

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“Being a member of NATO, you do have the security with Article 5…,” she said, referring to the alliance commitment to regard an attack on one member as a attack on all. “You also have another responsibility towards other countries.”

Source: globalnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.