The Nordic countries Finland and Sweden are considering joining NATO’s military alliance following Russian aggression in Ukraine
Two EU countries want to join NATO after Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine.
Finland and Sweden will join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as early as June.
The Swedish government – the Social Democrats – has begun internal debates about joining the military alliance after Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine.
The party had previously said that freedom of alliance militarily served Sweden well and opposed calls to join NATO.
Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said that the mood has since changed due to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
“When Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden’s security position changed fundamentally,” it said in a statement.
Finland – which borders Russia – is also expected to announce a decision to join NATO in the coming months.
The government has commissioned a national security review that will help MPs before they vote to join.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she expects the talks to end “before midsummer”.
“We will have very thorough discussions, but it will not take longer than we have to,” she said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Sweden and Finland will be welcomed into the alliance.
A European diplomat also welcomed the growth of the alliance, which labeled the two countries as “real players”.
“Sweden and Finland would be real feathers in NATO’s hat as net contributors,” the diplomat said.
If they join, troops under NATO command will be deployed on the border between Finland and Russia, which will further test President Vladimir Putin’s military.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned of such a move by the Nordic countries, saying it would not bring stability to Europe.
“We have repeatedly said that the alliance remains a tool focused on confrontation and that its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent,” he told reporters.