Finland and Sweden could apply to join NATO as early as this summer

According to the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, the Swedish Prime Minister Magdalen Andesson has already decided in favor of NATO membership and Sweden could submit its application at the NATO leaders’ meeting in Madrid at the end of June. The Swedish Social Democrats’ final decision on the matter could be taken at a party leadership meeting on 24 May. The issue would be ready for consideration by the Swedish parliament by the end of May.

A report on the state of national security is due to the Finnish parliament on Wednesday, which is changed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The report does not make any specific recommendations for or against joining NATO, but its consideration by parliament opens the way for discussions on Finland’s possible membership of the North Atlantic Alliance. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marina says that a decision on whether or not to join NATO will be made within a few weeks.

A poll shows that 62% of Finns already support the country’s accession to NATO.

Finnish Prime Minister Marina said on Wednesday after a meeting with Andesson that joining NATO would strengthen Finland’s position both militarily and politically.

“Russia is our neighbor. We have a long border with Russia, and we are seeing what they are doing in Ukraine at the moment. There is a war going on in Europe, and we too need to ask ourselves what we can do to prevent Finland from getting into this situation, ”said Marina.

She acknowledged that joining NATO would also pose potential risks, as Russia’s backlash must be taken into account: cyber attacks, hybrid attacks, etc.

Russian officials have warned that if Finland and Sweden join NATO, Moscow will step up its response and step up its military presence in the west of the country.

Russia’s ability to take such steps is limited, as the main forces are currently focused on warfare in Ukraine.

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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