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Finns to vote on Nato membership in coming weeks, PM says amid Ukraine conflict Marin


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At a joint news conference with Sweden's prime minister, she said she saw no reason to delay the decision.

There had been a report in Finland's parliament that stated that membership in the EU could lead to "increased tensions" on the Russian-Finnish border.

Moscow has recently urged Finland and Sweden not to join Nato.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there has been an increase in public support for Finland and Sweden to join the Western defensive alliance. The same "very serious analysis" is taking place in Sweden as in Finland, according to Sweden's leader Magdalena Andersson.

For a Nato summit scheduled for late June, Svenska Dagbladet reported on Wednesday that Ms Andersson was hoping to join.Russia's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has emphasized that Moscow would have to "rebalance the situation" if the NATO bid went ahead. Finland shares a 1,340-mile border with Russia.

"I won't give any kind of timetable for when we will make our decisions, but I think it will happen quite quickly," said Ms Marin. According to her, membership in NATO provided Finland with the Article Five security guarantee, which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members.

Both leaders met in Stockholm, where the Finnish security review had just begun. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that due to Russia's war with Ukraine, the security situation in Europe had changed and that the country's defense strategy needed to be reviewed.Russia's invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally altered European security. There is now a new purpose for the Nato military alliance as well as the possibility of adding new members.

Finland and Sweden's non-aligned status has long been cherished by their citizens. However, the mood has changed. Alexander Stubb, Sanna Marin's predecessor as prime minister, says the decision is "a foregone conclusion".

Nato is also getting a second look in Sweden, where the ruling Social Democrats are reconsidering their long opposition to the alliance's membership.

Speaking to the media in Moscow, Russian officials say expanding NATO is a "provocation," and they warn that there will be negative consequences as a result.Security in Europe and Finland is at its worst since the Cold War, according to a report. "Military force may be used solely against Finland," the report states.

As a result, Finland would be required to spend up to 1.5% of its budget on defense if it were to join the alliance. However, the alliance's membership would allow the country to better defend itself. As of 2018, Finland has announced a 40% increase in its military budget for the year 2026.

Sweden's bid to join the EU would also be welcomed by any potential application, it said.As recently as last month, Finnish troops participated in Nato military exercises.
It was stressed by the government of Finland that the report "does not include any conclusions or present new security policy guidelines," and that no decisions would be made before parliament had debated its findings in depth.

"All the parliamentary groups, government, and also the president will have the opportunity to make the decisions within upcoming weeks," Ms Marin said to reporters.

However, Finland's defense minister Antti Kaikkonen cautioned the army to be prepared for any potential shift in military strategy. Finns must be prepared for a Russian attack, Prime Minister Ahtisaari said earlier this week.

Officials in the United States have said they have seen nothing to confirm reports that Moscow has begun moving military equipment toward the Russian-Finnish border.

Since the formation of Nato in 1949, Finland has maintained a policy of military neutrality to avoid conflict with Russia. After fighting off an invasion from the Soviet Union in what became known as the Winter War, Finland had to give up most of its eastern province of Karelia to the Soviet Union.Ms Marin, the leader of the country's ruling Social Democratic Party, has consistently backed the non-alignment policy, which she reiterated just last month. The public's support for Nato membership has risen from 28% in February to 62% last month, according to recent polls, despite this.

It is possible for Finland to summon more than 200,000 reservists to fight in the event of a war, which has a standing military of around 21,500 troops.

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