Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
Frank Augstein | Reuters
Finland will apply for membership of NATO, the nation’s president mentioned Sunday, in a historic transfer for the Nordic nation, which has had a decades-long coverage of navy neutrality.
In a press convention alongside Prime Minister Sanna Marin, President Sauli Niinisto mentioned membership of NATO will “maximize” Finland’s safety after Russia’s unprecedented invasion of Ukraine in February.
“We have now reached at present an essential determination,” Marin mentioned, including that it’s “based mostly on a robust mandate.”
“We hope that the parliament will verify the choice to use for NATO membership throughout the coming days,” she added.
She mentioned Finland had been in shut contact with NATO and its members over the choice.
It comes after the pair final week mentioned the nation ought to apply to hitch NATO “immediately.”
Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia; if it joins the navy alliance, the land border that Russia shares with NATO territories would roughly double.
This can be a breaking information story and will probably be up to date shortly.
