Sanna Marin

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Russia's invasion of Ukraine had "changed everything".

"We have to think about what is the best for Sweden for our security and peace." "All the parliamentary groups and also the president will have the opportunity to make the decision in the upcoming weeks." Finland will make a decision on whether to apply for NATO membership in "weeks rather than months", its prime minister has said.

Until now, Finland and Sweden have shied away from joining NATO, the U.S.-led alliance founded in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

There is no other way to have security guarantees than under NATO’s deterrence and common defence as guaranteed by NATO’s Article 5,” she said. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said there were pros and cons of being a member of NATO though the main advantage was the security of Article 5, under which the alliance regards an attack on one member as an attack on all. Finland and fellow Nordic state and neighbor Sweden are close partners with NATO but have shied away from joining the 30-member alliance, founded in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Finland will take a decision about whether to apply to join the U.S.-led NATO alliance in the next few weeks, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday, ...

There is no other way to have security guarantees than under NATO's deterrence and common defence as guaranteed by NATO's Article 5," she said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

The Scandinavian country bordering Russia is beginning the process with an official assessment of how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has changed its security ...

“But I am confident that if they apply, we will sit down, and we’ll find a way to address that issue.” The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. “It would be a huge blow to NATO if their open-door policy is undermined.” Russia has warned of “serious military-political consequences” and “retaliation” should the two countries join. The last independent newsletter in Russia suspended its operations. Even without NATO protection, Finland and Sweden should theoretically have some measure of collective security. Sweden and Finland already have deep ties to the alliance. They bring very capable militaries,” she said. Vanhanen expects that NATO will find ways to “signal that Sweden and Finland are protected” in the interim, such as making a political commitment to ensuring safe accession or stepping up military cooperation in some way. In a briefing last week, Julianne Smith, the American ambassador to NATO, said the United States would “welcome” both countries if they want to join the alliance. The question of expanding the alliance was discussed last week at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. Both NATO and U.S. officials stressed that it is up to the countries to decide whether they want to join — while signaling that they will be welcomed if they apply. “We will have very careful discussions, but we will also not take any more time than we have to in this process because the situation is of course very severe,” Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters last week, suggesting a decision could come by late June.

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced the country's parliament will discuss joining the military alliance.

"All the parliamentary groups and also the president will have the opportunity to make the decision in the upcoming weeks." "I won't give any kind of timetable when we will make our decisions, but I think it will happen quite fast. "Both Finland and Sweden make independent decisions regarding security policy arrangements," Marin said.

And that's exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to happen.

“The security landscape has completely changed.” Sweden’s neighbor to the west, Norway, is already a NATO member. “There is a before and after 24th of February,” Andersson added, referencing the first day of the invasion.

PM Sanna Marin and Swedish counterpart discuss security concerns as polls pivot towards membership.

By invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin wanted to bring his neighbor to heel and make the West think twice about expanding alliances towards Russia's borders.

This would take a very long time and could also face stiff opposition from Hungary, which is already in a nasty battle with Brussels over its violations of the rule of law, causing the EU to propose suspending central funding to Budapest. "We have repeatedly said that the alliance itself is more of a tool for confrontation. The only serious objection could come from Hungary, whose leader is close with Putin, but NATO officials think it would be able to twist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's arm. Finland's foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said Monday that it was "important" that neighboring Sweden was following a "similar process" which he expects to take time. But for now, as that unity largely holds, it is clear that Putin's desire to belittle the Western alliance has backfired -- and that the strongman has secured pariah status for his nation, possibly for years to come. Nor has Putin's invasion motivated Ukraine to pull back from its desire for closer integration with the West. While the country is unlikely to join NATO, its efforts to join the European Union have accelerated since the start of the war.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her Swedish counterpart say a decision could come by late June.

Marin said parliament would debate an official assessment of how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a “change of our security environment” and evaluate making a historic shift in Finland’s defence posture. “There are different perspectives to apply [for] NATO membership or not to apply and we have to analyse these very carefully,” Marin told reporters in the Swedish capital Stockholm on Wednesday. Finland will make a decision about whether to apply to join the 30-member NATO alliance in the next few weeks, Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters in a joint news conference with her Swedish counterpart.

European Union nations Finland and Sweden reached important stages Wednesday on their way to possible NATO membership as the Finnish government issued a ...

On Wednesday, the Finnish government issued a much-awaited report on changes in Finland's security environment that lawmakers will start debating after the Easter break. "The war started by Russia endangers security and stability in entire Europe," Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said as he presented the report. She said the report is due May 31 but could be finished earlier. Trust in Russia has plummeted." Marin and Andersson lead the ruling Social Democratic Parties in their respective countries. Sweden has no border with Russia.

Ruotsin pääministeri Magdalena Andersson ja Suomen pääministeri Sanna Marin. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (on right) with Swedish PM Madgalena Andersson ...

The Statistics Finland report outlined that the price hike was due to increases in the prices of electricity, fuels, and house repair costs. According to the data, inflation in Finland in March was up 5.8 percent from last year. The last time Finland saw such a rapid rise in inflation rates, Aamulehti writes, was in March 1990. Luukka notes that recent events indicating Finland will apply for membership are also visible in the public sphere. Female recruits are now allowed to leave up to 30 days after training has commenced, instead of the previous limit of 45 days. Luukka argues the report nevertheless outlines a position where Finland would be foolish not to join Nato, as it mainly focuses on several benefits of becoming members.