President Sauli Niinistö will first declare on the day that he is in favor of accession. The newspaper “Iltalehti” reports, citing government circles, that parliament should then approve an application for membership in the military alliance. The decision will then be confirmed at a meeting between the President and the key ministers.
No confirmation was immediately available for the report. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused many people in Finland and Sweden to reconsider joining NATO. For decades, the attitude has been that the best way to keep the peace is not to officially take sides. Finland and Russia share a 1,300-kilometer border. Moscow has said it would deploy nuclear and hypersonic weapons in its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad should Finland and Sweden join NATO.
Source: Nachrichten
