Finland seeks NATO membership ‘Without Delay’ as Russia warns about consequences of action

Finland said on Thursday it would apply to join NATO “without delay”, with Sweden expected to follow suit, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brings about the very expansion of the Western military alliance that Vladimir Putin aimed to prevent.

The decision by the two Nordic countries to abandon the neutrality they maintained throughout the Cold War would be one of the biggest shifts in European security in decades.

They are the two biggest EU countries that had stayed out of NATO, and Finland’s 1,300-km (800-mile) border will more than double the frontier between the U.S.-led alliance and Russia, putting NATO guards a few hours’ drive from the northern outskirts of St Petersburg.

“Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement in Helsinki. “We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days.”

Five diplomats and officials told Reuters that NATO allies expect both countries to be granted membership quickly, paving the way for increased troop presence in the Nordic region to defend them during a one-year ratification period.

The announcement came even as Russia’s war in Ukraine was hitting another turning point, with Ukrainian forces driving Russian troops out of the region around the second largest city Kharkiv, their fastest advance since forcing Russia to withdraw from the capital and northeast more than a month ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited NATO’s potential expansion as one of the main reasons for Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine launched in February.

Ukraine had also expressed a desire to eventually join the U.S.-led Western alliance, although it has since offered to accept a form of neutral status as part of peace talks.

Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland and Sweden against joining NATO, threatening “serious military and political consequences”.

Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry has issued a warning against Finland joining NATO, after the president and the prime minister of Finland said in a joint statement that their country must apply for NATO membership without delay.

The ministry said the clear goal of NATO is to expand toward the borders of Russia and to create what it called another flank for a military threat to the country.

The ministry’s statement argues the Finnish government must be aware of the responsibility and consequences of its move. It warns that Finland’s accession to NATO will cause serious damage to its relations with Russia, as well as to the stability and security in the North European region.

The ministry indicates that Russia could take retaliatory steps, including those of a military nature, to stop the threats to its national security.

Asked on Wednesday if Finland would provoke Russia by joining NATO, Niinisto said: “My response would be that (Putin)caused this. Look at the mirror.”

NATO describes itself as a fundamentally defensive alliance, built around the principle that an attack on one member is an attack on all, effectively granting U.S. allies the protection of American superpower might, including its nuclear arsenal.

LENS and Reuters