The Finnish president calls the Russian president and informs him that his country will apply for NATO membership in the next few days.
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Meeting between Sauli Niinistyo and Vladimir Putin (archive)
A statement issued by the Finnish presidency stated that the President of the Republic, Sauli Niinistyo, had a phone call, today, Saturday, with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, regarding the possibility of Finland joining NATO.
According to the statement, Niinistyo told Putin that “Russia’s demands in late 2021 not to expand NATO and the Russian military operation in Ukraine have changed the Finnish security environment.”
Niinistyo added that he told Putin that “Finland will decide to apply for NATO membership in the next few days.”
The Finnish president stressed that he “sees joining NATO as a strengthening of Finland’s security,” adding that his country “will continue to address practical issues arising on the border areas in a realistic and professional manner.”
In the call, which took place from the Finnish side, he said: “The discussion was direct and clear and took place without any escalation. It was important to avoid tensions.”
For its part, the Kremlin said that President Putin “told his Finnish counterpart that the shift in Finland’s foreign policy will have a negative impact on relations between the two countries.”
It is noteworthy that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in a press statement, today, Saturday, that the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO will lead to The militarization of northern Europe.
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö and his Prime Minister Sanna Marin earlier called for the need to apply For NATO membership “As soon as possible”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the decision by Finland’s leaders, noting that “The process will be smooth and fast“.