Sweden and Finland move nearer NATO membership

Finland and Sweden's politicians on Sunday cleared the way for their countries to join the military alliance NATO.

Finland's president Sauli Niniisto and prime minister Sanna Marin confirmed that their nation will apply for membership of NATO once Finnish MPs have given the green light to the decision.

The move away from the neutral stance comes more than two months after the Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his country's armed forces into Ukraine.

Marin said she hoped the historic decision would be confirmed by Finland's parliament in the coming days.

Niniisto said Finland would be able to maximise its security by joining the 30- country defensive bloc.

He said he had spoken with Putin on Saturday. The Kremlin described their conversation as a frank exchange of views.

Following suit
Sweden's ruling Social Democrats said that they backed the country joining Nato. The decision ends decades of opposition to the organisation but since the conflict started in Ukraine more MPs have veered towards membership.

“The party board has at its meeting on May 15, 2022 decided that the party will work toward Sweden applying for membership in NATO,” the Social Democrats said in a statement.

Chris Skaluba, director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative told Reuters: "This is a clear signal from two countries that if you told me six months ago that they would join NATO, I would have told you that it's impossible. But what was once impossible now seems inevitable and I think that's an important signal that Putin miscalculated here."

But the Scandinavian countries face a difficult journey to the bloc.

Turkey says it wants Sweden and Finland to stop supporting the outlawed Kurdish militant group PKK groups and lift export bans on Turkey before it agrees to the countries joining the group.

Speaking during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin, the German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said the group would be strengthened with the arrival of Finland and Sweden.

"In face of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO's creed of 'One for all and All for One' is even more important than ever," she added.