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 Pad naar de NAVO voor Finland en Zweden infographic
Graphic shows timeline of NATO membership for Finland and Sweden, as well as geopolitical hotspots.
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MILITARY

Finland en Zweden willen toetreden tot de NAVO

By Jordi Bou

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.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 04/05/2022; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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