MILITARY
Finland en Zweden willen toetreden tot de NAVO
May 12, 2022 - Finland is expected to announce a bid for membership of NATO, in a move to be mirrored by Sweden within days, according to newspaper reports.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden have been considering applying for NATO membership, which would mark a major policy shift for the Nordic region.
Russia, with which Finland shares a 1,340-km border and a pre-1945 history of conflict, has warned it will deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in its Baltic coast enclave of Kaliningrad if Finland and Sweden decide to join the U.S.-led NATO alliance.
Finland and Sweden are militarily non-aligned but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted increasing public support to become members of the Western defensive alliance.
- Explainer: Finland, Sweden weigh up pros and cons of NATO membership (Reuters)
- Finland will decide to apply for NATO membership on May 12, says Iltalehti newspaper (Reuters)
- Finland, Sweden expect rapid domestic debate on NATO membership (DW)
- Ukraine War: Finland to decide on Nato membership in weeks says PM Marin (BBC)