A decision by the two Nordic nations to join the US-led alliance will reorganize Europe’s security architecture and expand NATO’s borders with Russia. It could also spark tensions with Moscow, which has warned it will have to “rebalance the situation” if Finland and Sweden decide to join. The Finnish government on Wednesday presented its assessment of the country’s changing security environment since Moscow invaded Ukraine. The poll shows that the vast majority of Finns now believe that the country should apply to join the military alliance. NATO officials have signaled that Finland and neighboring Sweden would be welcome in the 30-member alliance if they apply. “There are different perspectives on implementation [for] “NATO membership or not, and we have to analyze them very carefully,” said Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin. “But I think our process will be quite fast. it will happen in weeks “, Marin said in a joint press conference with Magdalena Andersson, her Swedish counterpart. The Finnish parliament will discuss the security situation in the country next week. Marin said it would make sense for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance together. “I would prefer to make similar choices for the whole region, but it is up to Sweden to decide,” he said. Finnish Foreign Minister Peka Haavisto said the invasion of Ukraine meant that Helsinki would have to “reassess” its historic position on non-alignment. “First of all, Russia is ready to take bigger risks than that [it was] earlier, “he said. “Second, Russia is capable of gathering more than 100,000 troops at one point against a country. “This is a scary scenario.” Finland could expect Russia to change its military stance on its borders if Helsinki joins NATO, Javist said. “It simply came to our notice then. . . “But we have our sovereignty and it is important that sovereignty is respected.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov warned this week that Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO “would not bring additional security to the European continent”. Anderson warned her country not to rush into a decision, but did not deny in an article Wednesday in the Svenska Dagbladet that it would support a June NATO bid. “This is a very important moment in our history. There is before and after [the Russian invasion]”We have to really think about what is really best for Sweden and our security and peace in this situation … we have to have a process to think about that.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that NATO allies would “find ways to address the two countries’ security concerns in the interval between membership application and ratification.” Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, has in the past chosen to stay out of NATO, but has deepened its formal co-operation with the alliance in recent years. In Sweden, neutrality has long been part of the country’s political identity, but public opinion is also changing, with growing numbers of Swedes now wanting to consider joining NATO. Anderson’s party, the Social Democrats, has historically been more resilient to NATO membership, but faces elections in the autumn, when Sweden’s security is likely to be a key issue. NATO is set to hold a summit in Madrid in June, when the future shape of the alliance will be scrutinized following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Finland and Sweden have been “intensifying” their security co-operation in recent months, Haavisto said. “We tried to synchronize. . . “but at the same time both countries make their own decisions.”