After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States expects Finland and Sweden to apply to join NATO this summer, the British newspaper The Times writes.
A senior US official said that they expect Finland to apply for membership in June and that Sweden will follow suit, the newspaper reported during the weekend.
US sources told The Times that NATO membership for the two countries was “a topic of conversation” in talks between the Alliance’s foreign ministers last week, in which Sweden and Finland also participated.
In both Sweden and Finland, the NATO debate has flared up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Saturday that she believes the question of whether Finland will apply for membership will be decided this summer.
“Russia is not the neighbor we thought they were,” she said. She further said that the decision must be made in a thorough but quick manner.
Two weeks ago, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said that she in no way excludes membership as an option. NATO has signaled that the two countries would be welcomed with open arms.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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