Finnish leaders back joining NATO; Sweden set to follow

Finland and Sweden are inching closer to joining NATO in what would be another jolt to the European security landscape following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Finland’s highestranking policymakers, threw their weight behind an application, and Sweden’s government is likely to do so soon.

“Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” Niinisto and Marin said in a joint statement Thursday. Membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would make Finland safer, and “as a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance,” they said.

The shift in Finland’s defensive position was spurred by the full-scale war Russia is waging in Ukraine. Neighboring Sweden plans to send an application on Monday, Expressen newspaper reported on Thursday, citing sources it didn’t identify.

With Russian aggression suddenly changing perceptions in Europe of regional threats, countries including Germany have switched toward rearmament, Sweden’s neighbor Denmark is holding a referendum on joining the European Union’s military cooperation, and NATO is boosting its deterrence in the east.

The Nordic countries are seeking to deter aggression from Russia, which on Feb. 24 invaded Ukraine and has threatened the pair with consequences if they join the bloc. The attack, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly called “inevitable,” shifted popular opinion in both Nordic countries overnight to favoring the entry.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, said it would “definitely” be a threat to Russia if Finland joined NATO.

“The expansion of NATO doesn’t make our continent more stable and secure,” he told reporters on a conference call, avoiding a direct response when asked whether the Kremlin expected Finland’s likely move as a potential result of its invasion of Ukraine.

NATO allies are expected to unanimously back any bids by Finland and Sweden, diplomats said.

The membership bids would need to be ratified by NATO countries’ parliaments, a process that can take months, before they gain entry and begin to enjoy collective defense commitments under Article 5.