Finland and Sweden are increasingly considering NATO membership, following the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
On 5 April, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained that Sweden and Finland would be welcome to apply. “NATO has not ruled out possible new members and it is up to countries like Sweden and Finland to decide if they want to join”, the head of the Alliance’s military committee, Rob Bauer, said on 12 April, adding that the two countries had not yet formally requested membership.
On Monday 11 April in Luxembourg, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto announced that his government would present a White Paper on security to the Finnish Parliament on Wednesday. The latter will then discuss all aspects of possible NATO membership or other security solutions, and the government will then draw its conclusions with the President of the Republic, the minister explained. “The objective is of course to reach a consensus on what needs to be done”, added Mr Haavisto.
Few Finnish MPs are opposed to membership.
In Sweden, the ruling Social Democrats launched a debate on 11 April within the party on security policy, including possible NATO membership. It should be completed before the summer. The right-wing opposition, on the other hand, intends to apply for membership if it wins a majority in parliament in the September legislative elections.
The Finnish minister explained that he had excellent cooperation with his Swedish counterpart. He said the two countries were sharing information and the “open” schedules of their countries.
“But the two countries make independent decisions”, Haavisto warned. “We hope that if we take similar decisions, we will take them at the same time”, he added.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, support for NATO membership has almost doubled in these countries, reaching almost 50% in Sweden and 60% in Finland.
In anticipation of possible NATO membership, Stockholm and Helsinki have announced that they will increase their defence spending. Sweden will increase its spending to 2% of its GDP, without giving a precise date, and Finland will increase its defence budget by 40% by 2026.
On Monday 11 April, Russia said that the possible accession of Finland and Sweden to the Atlantic Alliance would not bring stability to Europe. “We have repeatedly said that the Alliance remains a confrontation-oriented tool and that its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)