Finland and Sweden could apply for NATO membership at the same time

Media: Finland and Sweden could apply for NATO membership at the same time

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The Swedish government has asked its Finnish colleagues to delay the decision on the country’s possible accession to NATO, the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reports. The Swedish edition of Dagens Nyheter, for its part, writes that the Finnish government has responded to Sweden’s request.

There are growing concerns in Sweden that Finland is moving too fast towards NATO membership, but Sweden does not have enough time to discuss the issue in detail.

The newspaper Iltalehti concludes that both countries could make an official announcement of their desire to join NATO after May 18, when the visit of the President of Finland Sauli Nīniste to Sweden, where he was invited by King Charles XVI Gustav, will end.

CONTEXT:

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden have seen a sharp rise in popular and political support for membership of the world’s strongest military alliance. Both countries are well on their way to joining NATO, and an application could be submitted as early as this summer.

Finland has more than 1,300 km of border with Russia. Like the Baltic states, Finland was once part of the Russian Empire, but in the 1940s, Finland, unlike the Baltic states, managed to defend its independence and avoid Soviet occupation. During the Winter War, Finland defended its independence but lost about 10% of its territory.

Sweden is in a different situation because it is very proud of its neutrality and has not been involved in wars for more than 200 years. Sweden remained neutral during both World War I and World War II. But lately, the Swedes have also been worried about their safety, because of Russia threats have been made to occupy the strategically important island of Gotland.

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