Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
Frank Augstein | Reuters
Finland will apply for membership of NATO, the nation’s president mentioned Sunday, in a historic transfer for the Nordic nation, which has had a decades-long coverage of army neutrality.
In a press convention alongside Prime Minister Sanna Marin, President Sauli Niinisto mentioned membership of NATO will “maximize” Finland’s safety after Russia’s unprecedented invasion of Ukraine in February.
“We have now reached at present an necessary resolution,” Marin mentioned, including that it’s “primarily based on a robust mandate.”
“We hope that the parliament will affirm the choice to use for NATO membership in the course of the coming days,” she added. The formal utility is because of be submitted subsequent week.
Marin mentioned Finland has been in shut contact with NATO and its members over the choice. Final week, Marin and Niinisto mentioned the nation ought to apply to affix NATO “directly.”
Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia; if it joins the army alliance, the land border that Russia shares with NATO territories would roughly double.
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