The country, which successfully withstood a Soviet invasion during World War II and has since been neutral, has long refused to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization amid a lack of popular support for the movement. Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, however, opinion polls have shown that support for membership has risen to more than 60% from less than 20%. Most political parties in Helsinki also now agree that Finland should become a member in order to strengthen its security. “We must be prepared for any action by Russia … There is no way we can have security guarantees except under the auspices and common defense of NATO as guaranteed by Article 5 of NATO,” Marin told journalists in Stockholm, citing alliance statements. article that says that an attack on one member should be considered an attack on everything. Ms. Marin, who stood by her Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson, said the decision would be made within weeks. “Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine … I think the mentality of the people in Finland, also in Sweden, changed and changed very dramatically because of Russia’s actions,” Marin said. Finland shares a more than 800-mile border with Russia, which would become the most exposed eastern side of NATO if the country becomes a member. Sweden, which has been neutral for more than 200 years, is considering the same move.
title: “Biden Announces Additional 800 Million Aid Finland Could Join Nato In Weeks " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-11” author: “Patricia Yaple”
The country, which successfully fought off a Soviet invasion during World War II and has since been neutral, has long refused to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization amid a lack of popular support for the move. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, however, polls have shown that support for membership had surged to over 60% from below 20%. Most political parties in Helsinki now also agree Finland should become a member to boost its security. “We have to be prepared for all kinds of actions from Russia…There is no other way to have security guarantees than under NATO’s deterrence and common defense as guaranteed by NATO’s Article 5,” Ms. Marin told reporters in Stockholm, referring to the alliance’s article that says an attack on one member is to be considered an attack on all. Ms. Marin, who stood alongside her Swedish counterpart, Magdalena Andersson, said the decision would be made within weeks. “Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine… I think people’s mindsets in Finland, also in Sweden, changed and shifted very dramatically because of Russia’s actions,” Ms. Marin said. Finland shares a border of more than 800 miles with Russia, which would become NATO’s most exposed eastern flank if the country becomes a member. Sweden, which has been neutral for over 200 years, is considering the same move.
