Trudeau says that Canada “strongly supports” Sweden and Finland’s accession to the NATO alliance
President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukraine’s refusal to promise not to join NATO is part of the reason for the invasion.
Finland shares the European Union’s longest border with Russia, a 1,340-kilometer border.
Last week, the Finnish government issued a security report to legislators addressing the pros and cons of a possible membership, focusing on supply threats, economic effects, cyber security and hybrid threats.
The Swedish governing party has begun a review of security policy alternatives with a final report on 31 May.
Canada, led by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, supported Ukraine’s entry into the NATO alliance at the 2008 summit, but that offer was blocked.
In early April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recalled former German and French leaders Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy for blocking his country from joining.
Membership could have protected Ukraine from future Russian attacks under the Alliance’s Article 5 collective defense guarantee.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on April 21, 2022.
– With files from the Associated Press
Canadian Press