Finland and Sweden announce plans to make historic Nato bid

The leaders of Finland and Sweden have made an announcement that signifies a historic shift in policy for the Nordic countries. The two countries have confirmed their intentions to join NATO, a decision triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that will cause the security map of Europe to change.

According to the BBC, the governments of Finland and Sweden are expected to present their proposals to their parliaments on May 16, and it is believed they will submit a joint membership. With this decision, the two countries are leaving behind a decade of military non-alignment.

Finland's president, Sauli Niinistö said, per The Guardian, "The president and the government's foreign policy committee have agreed that after consulting parliament, Finland will apply for Nato membership."

Niinistö continued, "A new era is opening. A protected Finland is being born as part of a stable, strong, and responsible Nordic region. We gain security, and we also share it. It's good to keep in mind that security isn't a zero-sum game."

Sanna Marin, the prime minister of Finland, added that she had hope the parliament would approve the matter "in the coming days." The Guardian reported that Marin also said she believed that Finland joining Nato would "strengthen the EU, whose voice in Nato can become stronger."

Finland is feeling too close to Russia for comfort these days, which is only natural considering the country shares a 1,300 km or 810-mile border with Russia. Over the years, Finland has remained strictly neutral and firm in its non-alignment stance, not wishing to provoke Putin by joining Nato.

It seems that Russia's war in Ukraine has hastened the expansion of Nato that Vladimir Putin hoped to prevent. A few hours after the Finnish announcement, Sweden's Social Democrats said they were no longer opposed to joining Nato.

Putin's decision to commence a "special military operation" in February has caused the citizens of Finland and Sweden to see things from a different perspective. Since the beginning of the war, The Guardian reports that approval for Nato accession in Finland has climbed to 75% among the public, and in Sweden, the approval rating is between 50 -60%.

In a news conference, Swedish prime minister Magdalena Andersson said, "The best thing for the security of Sweden and the Swedish people is to join Nato. We believe Sweden needs the formal security guarantees that come with membership in Nato."

Andersson did say that while non-alignment had been good for Sweden in the past, it would not be a wise choice anymore, saying non-alignment
"will not do in the future."
Pictured: Swedish protestors who are against Sweden joining Nato in Stockholm on May 14.

In addition, the Swedish prime minister recognized that being the only country in the Baltic region outside of Nato would leave Sweden in a "vulnerable" position. Andersson added that Stockholm planned to submit a joint application to Nato with Helsinki.

However, getting approval in the Swedish parliament might be difficult; joining Nato is an issue that has left her political party divided, and the Social Democrats are against permanent Nato bases or nuclear weapons on Swedish land. Despite this, Andersson said, "Tomorrow I will assure broad parliamentary support in the Riksdag for a Swedish membership application." Andersson said.

Finland and Sweden's announcements were made as western news agencies revealed that Russia had suffered significant military losses in Ukraine and that things were not looking good for Russia due to the stiff resistance from the Ukrainian forces in the east of the country.

The two Nordic countries have decided to go ahead with joining Nato despite repeated warnings from the Kremlin about joining the organization. If Finland and Sweden joined Nato, Russia has said it would be obliged to "restore military balance" and strengthen its defense of the Baltic Sea region, saying it would even deploy nuclear weapons.

On May 14, Niinistö called Putin to inform him of Sweden's decision to join Nato in what he described as a "direct and straightforward" yet "calm and cool" conversation. Despite this, Niinistö said, "Total vigilance is in place."

According to a readout of the conversation released by the Kremlin, President Putin responded to Niinistö's news by saying it "would be a mistake, since there is no threat to Finland's security," however, no retaliatory threats were issued.

There is a high probability that Finland and Sweden's joint application to Nato will be accepted. On more than one occasion, Jens Stoltenberg said that the two Nordic countries would be "welcomed with open arms" and that the accession process would be quick.

On the other hand, Turkey is not happy with Finland and Sweden's decision to join Nato. Per the BBC, on May 15, the Turkish foreign minister said that Finland and Sweden need to cease support of terrorist groups in their countries and provide explicit security guarantees.

The Guardian reported that following a Nato foreign ministers' meeting in Berlin, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, "There absolutely needs to be security guarantees here. They need to stop supporting terrorist organizations."

Of particular concern is Sweden's support of the Kurdish militant group PKK, which has been designated a terrorist group by the US, the EU, and Turkey.

On Finland's behalf, Niinistö said he is willing to meet with the Turkish president to discuss his concerns. The secretary-general of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, said that he believed that Turkey would not prevent the two countries from joining Nato and that he believed that Ankara's concerns would be resolved.

Photo: Turkish Presidency handout