Finland, and Sweden want to join NATO

By Alessandro Pellegrino

On Wednesday morning, the two prime ministers of Finland and Sweden, Sanna Marin and Magdalena Andersson held a joint press conference to confirm that their governments are discussing and considering joining NATO, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There have been several rumors about it in recent days, but it is the first time that Marin and Andersson have spoken so explicitly of this possibility.

Finland and Sweden are part of the European Union, but so far they have not applied to join NATO for fear of retaliation from Russia, their largest security neighbor.

Marin and Andersson have been very clear that the decision on whether or not to join NATO will be discussed in various institutional places in the coming weeks. For today, among other things, the release of a report put together by the Finnish government on the pros and cons of a possible NATO membership is expected, which will be the basis on which the parliamentary debate will develop. Several observers believe that Sweden and Finland can reach a decision in time for the NATO meeting scheduled for late June in Madrid, Spain.

The Russian government has repeatedly explained that it would consider the possible entry of Sweden and Finland to join NATO as a threat to its security. Russian military vehicles have been seen near the Finnish border. A video, verified by Sky News and published by international media, shows the movement of military equipment, on the border between Russia and Finland, in an apparent warning just as the debate over NATO membership continues to grow.