Posted by Finland edges toward NATO
Finland’s government is scheduled to issue a highly anticipated report on Thursday about the future of its security policy. If, as expected, the report argues that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed new threats to the security of Finland, which shares an 830-mile-long border with Russia, its parliament will take up the question of whether to join the NATO alliance, a step Helsinki has long resisted.
Public opinion in Finland has shifted. Just after Russia launched the war, polls showed for the first time that a majority of Finns favored NATO membership. A recent survey found that 61% favored joining, just 16% opposed it, and 23% were undecided.
A similar debate is underway in Sweden, which might well follow Finland’s lead.
Russian officials have warned of “political and military consequences” and that another expansion of NATO would force Russia to “rebalance the situation.” Finland and Sweden could formally apply as early as June, and NATO would probably accept them quickly.
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