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Russia’s attack on Ukraine has pushed Finland and Sweden to the brink of applying for NATO membership.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday that Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, must apply “without delay” to join NATO.
“We hope that the steps that need to be taken in the country to reach this decision will be taken quickly in the coming days,” they said.
In Sweden, the ruling Social Democratic Party is expected to decide on Sunday whether to change its decades-old policy against NATO membership, a move that would surely push Stockholm towards applying for membership in the 30-nation alliance.
Moscow has warned it could deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in its European enclave of Kaliningrad if the two countries apply for membership, signaling a tense waiting period during the months needed to ratify new memberships. all NATO member countries.
NATO and the White House have expressed confidence that they can address all security concerns during this interim period.
But what are some of the aspects that brought about this radical repositioning of policies for the next steps needed to join the US-led alliance?
WHY ARE NOT SWEDEN AND FINLAND NATO MEMBERS?
Both countries have been neutral since World War II and have small military forces.
– Finland gained independence from Russia in 1917 and fought twice against it during the war, losing part of the territory taken by Moscow. Finland signed a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance with Russia in 1948, thus finalizing an economic and political dependence and isolating itself militarily from Western Europe.
– The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union allowed Finland to move out of Russia’s sphere of influence, while the threat from Moscow fell.
– To maintain peace, Finland has relied on its military forces and friendly relations with Moscow. But with Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special operation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin is already appearing with a far less friendly stature.
Sweden has not fought a war for 200 years and its foreign policy has focused on strengthening international democracy, multilateral dialogue and nuclear disarmament.
Sweden paid less attention to its military during the Cold War, hoping that in the event of a conflict it could delay Russian advance until they came to its aid. Russian President Putin’s offensive in Ukraine has made it much more attractive to guarantee military assistance.
However, many leftists in Sweden continue to view with suspicion the US security agenda and NATO, which ultimately relies on the preventive capacity of the United States nuclear arsenal.
Finland and Sweden went from official neutrality to military impartiality in 1995 when they joined the European Union.
– Both countries have come closer to NATO in recent years, exchanging intelligence and participating in alliance exercises, in response to an increasingly aggressive Russia.
– NATO membership would place Sweden and Finland under the protection of Article 5, which guarantees that an attack on a NATO ally is an attack on all member states.
HOW WIDE IS THE SUPPORT FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP?
– Polls show that a significant majority of Swedes support NATO membership, with over 60% according to the latest poll, and there is a majority in parliament in support of the application for membership.
Sweden’s Social Democrats – the largest party in power for most of the last century – have long defended military non-engagement but will reconsider their opposition to a membership decision on Sunday. This party is expected to widely support membership.
The Swedish Left Party – once the Communist Party – remains opposed to membership, as is the Green Party, but if the Social Democrats change their position, this would create an overwhelming majority in favor of parliament.
– Opinion polls show that support for membership in Finland has been even stronger than in Sweden, with many Finns aware of the long land border with Russia, while support in parliament for membership applications is also widespread.
– The Finnish Parliament’s defense committee said this week that NATO membership was the best alternative to guarantee national security.
WHEN CAN THEY BECOME MEMBERSHIP?
Finland has an “option” towards NATO, a kind of action plan that envisions application if the security situation deteriorates, while the Swedish parliament will present a new security policy review on Friday, although it is not expected to contain a recommendation to clearly in relation to NATO.
Sweden’s Social Democrats have called for a parliamentary debate on NATO on Monday. If this party gives support, the government may request a vote in the Riksdag to submit the application for membership, although this is not formally necessary.
– Social Democrat Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who leads Finland’s five-party center-left coalition, and President Sauli Niinisto have visited NATO member states in recent weeks to secure support for a possible application.
– Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, also a Social Democrat, has had numerous meetings with the governments of NATO countries.
– Although there is no set deadline for applications, there are some definite steps that Helsinki and Stockholm must follow in the NATO membership process.VOA
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