Finland could apply to join Nato within weeks despite Russia warning that it would secure ‘the destruction of their country’.
The Nordic nation, which has a long border with Russia, has never been a member of the Cold War defence alliance.
But since Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine, there has been a shift in public opinion.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin said possible membership would be discussed ‘within the coming weeks’ and decisions made ‘before midsummer’.
She added: ‘I think we will have very careful discussions, but we are also not taking any more time than we have to in this process, because the situation is, of course, very severe.’
Pekka Haavisto, Finland’s foreign minister, added public support for Nato membership had been growing since Russia launched its bloody war.
Ms Marin and Mr Haavisto’s comments have already been met with dark threats from Moscow.
Politician Vladimir Dzhabarov, of the United Russia party, warned potential membership would be ‘a terrible tragedy’.
He said: ‘If the leadership of Finland goes for it, it will be a strategic mistake.
‘Finland, which has been successfully developing all these years thanks to close trade and economic ties with Russia, would become a target.’
The senator added that it is not likely ‘the Finns themselves will sign a card for the destruction of their country’.
On Friday, Finnish websites were targeted in a cyber attack during a speech to parliament by Volodymyr Zelensky.
Later the same day, the country’s Ministry of Defence confirmed a Russian government aircraft had briefly violated Finnish airspace.
But Finland will likely defy threats from Moscow, according to one former Prime Minister who described Nato membership as ‘pretty much a done deal’.
Alexander Stubb, who led the Nordic nation between 2014 and 2015, said relations with Russia have always been a key influence on policy.
The two countries share an 830 mile border, the longest of any European Union member.
While many countries swarmed to join Nato following the Cold War, Finland chose not to – wary of the potential risks their shared border could bring.
But Mr Stubb explained that the war in Ukraine changed that mindset.
He told CNN: ‘The Finns think that if Putin can slaughter his sisters, brothers and cousins in Ukraine, as he is doing now, then there is nothing stopping him from doing it in Finland.
‘We simply don’t want to be left alone again,’ he added, in reference to the Soviet-Finnish Winter War.
The conflict lasted from November 1939 to March 1940.
The war pitted Finnish troops up against a much larger Soviet army, which resulted in Finland handing over 11% of its land to the Soviet Union.
The nation’s potential Nato membership will also be influenced by their shared border with Sweden.
Like Finland, Swedish politicians became galvanised following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is expected to announce it’s position on potential membership of Nato by the end of May, after an analysis of the country’s security policy is undertaken.
It is unknown just what kind of retaliation Russia may plan if the Nordic nations both join Nato.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Sky News that Russia would need to ‘rebalance the situation’ if membership grows.
Speaking on Thursday, he added: ‘We’ll have to make our western flank more sophisticated in terms of ensuring our security.’
Meanwhile, speaking to Nordic journalists on Thursday, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said both Sweden and Finland ‘can easily join this alliance if they decide to apply’.
He added: ‘They have worked together for many years, we know that they meet the Nato standards when it comes to interoperability, democratic control over the armed forces.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/yJPNbLk
0 Comments