Finland Prepares To Join NATO Amid Russian Threat Of War

Finland is preparing for a potentially historic decision "before midsummer" on whether to apply to join NATO as a deterrent against Russian aggression, Sam Kingsley reported for the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Photo Insert: The Finns have had their fair share of run-ins with Russia in the past.

The Nordic nation of 5.5 million has traditionally been militarily non-aligned, in part to avoid provoking its eastern neighbor, with which it shares a 1,300 kilometer (830 mile) border.

But Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 saw public support for joining NATO double from 30 to 60 percent, according to a series of polls. Finland declared independence from Tsarist Russia in 1917 after 150 years under Moscow.

A Russia weakened by its Ukraine invasion threatens to destroy Finland once it joins NATO. It also issued the same threat to Sweden.

"Never underestimate the capacity of Finns to take rapid decisions when the world changes," former Finnish prime minister Alexander Stubb told AFP. Himself a long-time NATO advocate, Stubb now believes Finland making a membership application is "a foregone conclusion" as Finns re-evaluate their relationship with their neighbor.

Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto has acknowledged that Russia could seek to destabilize a NATO membership bid during the "grey zone" between an application and its ratification by all 30 member-states.

Next week a government-commissioned national security review will be delivered to parliament, the Eduskunta, to help Finnish members of parliament (MPs) make up their own minds, before it is put to a vote.

"We will have very careful discussions but not taking any more time than we have to," Prime Minister Sanna Marin told a news conference on Friday. "I think we will end the discussion before midsummer," she added.

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