Finland’s leaders give green light for NATO membership
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Thursday that Finland should join NATO — signaling tectonic shifts in Europe’s post-Cold War security landscape, a day after Helsinki signed a mutual security agreement with London. A green light from Finland’s leaders is the first step toward a formal application, with a proposal also requiring approval from the country’s Parliament.
“Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” Niinisto and Marin said in a highly anticipated statement. The leaders also said Finland joining the security alliance would be mutually beneficial.
A membership application from Finland, which has long maintained military nonalignment, would be an ironic consequence of an invasion that Russian President Vladimir Putin said he started for fear of NATO expanding to include Ukraine.
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