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Rabat – Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin have formally announced their country’s intention to join NATO.
The announcement was made at a press conference on Sunday, with both officials appearing determined to abandon the Scandinavian country’s history of military non-alignment in light of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
“A protected Finland is being born as part of a stable, strong and responsible Nordic region,” Niinisto said during the press conference.
While the decision must still go through Finland’s parliament, it’s expected to be endorsed in the coming days, after which a formal application to join the US-led military alliance will be made.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the move “a mistake” in a phone call with Finland’s President ahead of the announcement, telling the Finnish president that there was no threat to his country’s security.
The ongoing war between Moscow and Kiev has changed neighboring countries’ stance towards joining military alliances, as joining NATO can provide protection in the case of a new attack.
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Sweden has also been signaling intentions to join NATO lately.
Meanwhile, the head of the US-led alliance has recently expressed hopes that Ukraine can win the war with Moscow.
“Russia’s war in Ukraine is not going as Moscow had planned,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a meeting in Berlin, where diplomats from member states met to discuss providing Ukraine with more assistance.
