The Finnish government is ready to formally apply for NATO membership “before mid-summer” and possibly as early as May. Finnish Prime Minister Sana Marin said on Friday that the country would vote “before mid-summer” to apply for NATO membership. Former Prime Minister Alexander Stump says the vote is likely to take place as early as May, according to AFP. RUSSIA INVASES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES “We will have very careful discussions, but we will not take more time than we should,” Marin told a news conference. “I think we will end the debate before mid-summer.” Stobb, however, was more specific in his prediction, telling Agence France-Presse on Saturday that the government would probably vote on the issue before the end of May, just in time for the NATO summit in Madrid in June. “Finns believe that if Putin can slaughter his sisters, brothers and cousins in Ukraine, as he is doing now, then there is nothing to stop him from doing it in Finland. We just do not want to be alone again.” Stubb told AFP. PUTIN “HAS PROBABLY OBSERVED” TO BEGIN KIEV, SAYS AUTIN President Biden spoke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine during a press conference following the NATO summit and the G7 meeting at NATO headquarters on Thursday, March 24, 2022 in Brussels. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci) (AP Photo / Evan Vucci) While the Finnish public has traditionally opposed NATO membership, opinion polls have shown a seismic shift following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February. Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia, and support for NATO membership has soared from 26% to 60% after the invasion. CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION Finland has been wary of its eastern neighbor since the 1939 Winter War, when Soviet forces attempted to invade at the start of World War II. The end forces managed to inflict a resounding defeat on the Soviets. Finland lost 26,000 troops, compared with at least 126,000 dead or missing in the USSR. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Finland will definitely approve if it applies to join the alliance. Some Russian lawmakers are already offering hostile language about a possible NATO ally, Finland. Russian lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov said joining the alliance would be a “strategic mistake” for Finland, adding that the country would “become a target”. “I’m thinking about it [would be] “a terrible tragedy for the whole Finnish people,” Jabarov said, adding that with such an action “the Finns themselves will sign a card for the destruction of their country.”
