Potential candidate countries have decided not to wait for the Alliance's summit in late June.
Finland and Sweden plan to apply for NATO membership in May. Thus, both countries have decided to speed up the accession process without waiting for the Alliance's summit in late June.
According to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, more than half of the local parliamentarians support the country's accession to NATO. However, instead of starting the process of joining the Alliance on its own, Finland is in favor of Sweden's proposal to invite the neighboring country to apply for membership in one day. The agreement will take effect after the Swedish government decides on NATO membership.
Last week, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said Sweden was preparing its own policy assessment. security for NATO membership. An analytical group of parliamentary parties will announce the decision on Friday, May 13.
According to the newspaper Iltalehti, applications from Finland and Sweden must be published after May 16.
Read also: Finland joins NATO: eight out of ten parties in parliament supported accession
It has been reported that Russia has threatened Sweden and Finland with “consequences” if it joins NATO.
It should be noted that a few years ago the very idea of Finland's accession to NATO seemed unrealistic. But Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine has changed everything. But is NATO ready to accept a new member? After all, although Brussels is talking about an “open door” policy, this entrance turned out to be inaccessible for Ukraine. For more information on how Finns are trying to protect themselves from the Russian military threat, read Alina Gritsenko's article “Finland is one step away from NATO membership: what Russia will respond to.”
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