On 4 April, the anniversary of the signing of the Washington Treaty in 1949, Finland will officially become the 31st Allied country.
At a ceremony on the margins of the Alliance’s foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, the Finnish flag will be raised alongside the Allied flags in the presence of the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, and the Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, as well as the foreign ministers of the Allied countries.
“This is a historic week”, Mr Stoltenberg told the media on Monday 3 April. “This will make Finland safer and our Alliance stronger. (Tuesday) will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole”, he added.
While Helsinki and Stockholm were both invited to join the Alliance last June, the process is still ongoing for Sweden, as Hungary and Turkey have not yet ratified the country’s membership. Mr Stoltenberg expressed confidence that Sweden would become a member of the Alliance. He also recalled that all Allies agreed that Sweden’s accession should be completed rapidly.
Ukraine. After the ceremony, NATO foreign ministers will meet with their Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, for a NATO-Ukraine Commission to discuss Allied support, including ways to further strengthen the armed forces.
“There are no signs that President Putin is preparing for peace. He is preparing for more war”, said Mr Stoltenberg. He said the Allies were “united” in their “determination to stay the course” and to support Ukraine for as long as necessary. So far, the Allies have disbursed €65 billion in military aid, the Secretary General said, welcoming the fact that modern battle tanks and other armoured vehicles had started to arrive in Ukraine. “This can make a real difference on the frontlines, and allow the Ukrainian forces to liberate more territory”, he said.
Beyond immediate support, the ministers are expected to discuss longer-term support and decide, according to Mr Stoltenberg, to start working on a multi-year programme for Ukraine. It will be a “long-term partnership, not only to help Ukraine defend itself, but also to move closer to NATO by implementing reforms, continuing to modernise its defence and security institutions, including the fight against corruption, and helping it to transition from Soviet-era to NATO equipment, standards and doctrines”, the Secretary General explained.
On Wednesday, the Allies will discuss threats and challenges in the Alliance’s southern area, including instability, terrorism and the growing influence of Iran, Russia and China, according to Mr Stoltenberg.
Investments. The ministers will discuss preparations for the Vilnius summit in July, including spending on defence investment. “It is essential that we invest more in defence”, the Secretary General stressed once again. He recalled that he expected the Allies to make a new and ambitious commitment to defence investment at the summit, with 2% of GDP for defence “as a floor, not a ceiling”. An ambition supported by the United States.
The Allies will also discuss with their partners in the Indo-Pacific region (Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea) and the High Representative of the Union, the strengthening of their cooperation in areas such as cyber defence, new technologies and the fight against disinformation. They will also discuss China’s growing alignment with Russia and the global consequences of the war in Ukraine.
In this context, the arrest and imprisonment of American journalist Evan Gershkovich could be mentioned. On Monday, the NATO Secretary General called for his immediate release. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)