Finland’s leaders yesterday said that they are in favor of rapidly applying for NATO membership, paving the way for an expansion of the alliance that could deal a blow to Russia as its military struggles with its war in Ukraine.
The move by Finland was announced by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
It means that Finland is all but certain to join NATO, although a few steps remain before the application process can begin.
Photo: AP
Sweden is expected to decide on joining NATO in the next few days.
“NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security. As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance,” Niinisto and Marin said in a joint statement. “Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay. We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days.”
The Kremlin reacted to the development a few hours later, saying that Finland’s move to join NATO would not help stability and security in Europe.
Photo: AP
Finland shares a 1,340km land border with Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia’s response to the move would depend on what specific steps NATO would take to bring its infrastructure close to Russian borders.
He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has already ordered to work out steps to bolster the country’s defenses in the west in response to NATO’s expansion closer to Russian territory.
Previously, the Kremlin had warned of “military and political repercussions” if Sweden and Finland join NATO.
Should they apply, there will be an interim period lasting from when an application has been handed in until all 30 NATO members’ parliaments have ratified it.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter: “History being made by our northern neighbors.”
Kallas pledged to support “a rapid accession process” for Finland into NATO, of which Estonia is a member.
Finland’s announcement came a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Finland and Sweden to sign a military cooperation agreement.
The UK on Wednesday pledged to aid Sweden and Finland if the two Nordic nations were to be attacked.
During a news conference with Johnson in Helsinki, Niinisto said that Moscow could only blame itself should his nation become a NATO member.
“You [Russia] caused this. Look at the mirror,” Niinisto said.
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
‘BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS’: The US military’s aim is to continue to make any potential Chinese invasion more difficult than it already is, US General Ronald Clark said The likelihood of China invading Taiwan without contest is “very, very small” because the Taiwan Strait is under constant surveillance by multiple countries, a US general has said. General Ronald Clark, commanding officer of US Army Pacific (USARPAC), the US Army’s largest service component command, made the remarks during a dialogue hosted on Friday by Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Asked by the event host what the Chinese military has learned from its US counterpart over the years, Clark said that the first lesson is that the skill and will of US service members are “unmatched.” The second
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS