Sweden and Finland are considering joining NATO, Russia threatens to ‘rebalance’ the situation

“Russia’s war against Ukraine is decisive not only for the future of our country, but also for the future of all countries that share a border with Russia, such as Finland,” the Ukrainian president warned on Friday. Vladimir Zelensky. a notification Finland Do not ignore. nor swedenIn the face of the unpredictability of Putin’s actions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, executives in both Nordic countries are considering joining NATO, which would be a fundamental shift in their historical positions.

His chances of joining the military alliance have reportedly grown in recent months and were on the agenda at a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels this week. Reuters.

The Finnish government is studying this issue and its foreign minister, Pekka Havestow, has hinted that his country may be interested in joining the coalition. “We can get to a point where we need cooperation,” the Finnish minister said on Thursday, giving NATO a nod.

“There is an important NATO summit in Madrid in June. Of course, the coalition is considering whether Finland and possibly Sweden will submit their applications for membership before the summit,” Haavisto added. The minister also announced that his government would report to the country’s parliament on how Russia’s offensive in Ukraine affects it security of the territory.

Finland, shared 1,300 km border with Russia, which has historically been a neutral country, has always tried to maintain good relations with the Kremlin. But the war in Ukraine has raised alarms not only in his government, but also in the population.this 60% Finns are now in favour of joining NATO, according to a March poll.Is a 3.4% More than the spring of 2021, the highest support since NATO’s investigation in the country.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg opened the door to the alliance between the two countries, saying the 30 nations would welcome Finland and Sweden if they finally decide to join.

Sweden, also more in favor

The situation in Sweden is similar to that in Finland. The Swedish public has never been in favour of a hypothetical union. But the war in Ukraine changed everything.one March polls show 59% The Swedes would welcome NATO membership if Finland also became a member. 17% disapprove, 24% undecided.

If participant approval drops to 41% polls They were asked to ignore Finland’s decision. In this case, 26% disapprove. In other words, if Finland also joined the military alliance, the Swedish public would be more inclined to join the military alliance. In any case, this is a trend in favor of a future alliance with NATO.

In the political environment, there appears to be a similar trend. At a press conference in March, the Prime Minister of Sweden, Magdalena AndersonHe refused to join NATO. “If Sweden decides to join NATO under the current circumstances, it will further destabilize this part of Europe and increase tensions,” he said.

But on March 30, he backed down, saying “I’m not at all ruling out” joining NATO. “I want to have a good analysis of the possibilities we face and the risks and threats that arise in order to make the best decision for Sweden,” Anderson added.

opposition leader, Ulf ChristersonThe figure from the centre-right party urged his country’s government to start discussing future accession, which Finland has already done. “It’s urgent. We can’t hide behind a windbreaker, expect all the air to go over the top, and then be surprised by Finland’s decision in a month or two,” Christerson explained, suggesting if his eastern neighbor joins NATO, they should do the same.

Russian threat

A Kremlin spokesman assured that Russia would be forced to “rebalance the situation” if Sweden and Finland finally decide to join NATO, Dmitry Peskovthis Thursday in front of the microphone sky news.

Peskov added that if both Nordic countries became members of a military alliance, “we would have to make our western flank more complex in terms of security.”

“We are convinced that NATO is a confrontation machinethis is not a peaceful alliance,” a Russian regime spokesman said. “It was made for confrontation, its main purpose is against our country, which is a very unfortunate situation,” he said.

This isn’t the first time the Kremlin has warned Sweden and Finland. On February 25, the day after the invasion began, IRussian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that the two Nordic countries joining NATO would have “serious political and military consequences”.

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