War in Ukraine: Finnish MPs open debate on whether to join NATO

Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that her country would decide within weeks on whether to apply for membership.

Sanna Marin, right, with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, centre, whose country is also considering whether to join NATO. Picture: AFP

Finland’s parliament on Wednesday night was to start debating whether to seek NATO membership, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a surge in political and public support for joining the bloc.

Despite Russia warning of a nuclear build-up in the Baltic should Finland and neighbouring Sweden join the military alliance, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that her country would decide within weeks on whether to apply for membership.

Sweden is also discussing whether to submit a membership bid following Russia’s February 24 invasion.

The 200 MPs in Finland’s Eduskunta last week received a “white paper” that did not make recommendations but stressed that without NATO membership Finland enjoys no security guarantees, despite currently being a partner to the alliance.

It said the “deterrent effect” on Finland’s defence would be “considerably greater” inside the bloc.

After two decades of public support for NATO membership remaining steady at 20-30 per cent, the war caused a surge in those in favour to over 60 per cent, according to opinion polls.

Public statements gathered by Finnish media suggest half of Finland’s 200 MPs now support membership while only around 12 oppose. Others say they will announce a position after discussions. The Finnish government said it hopes to build a parliamentary consensus over the coming weeks, with MPs due to hear from a number of security experts.

Many analysts predict Finland could submit a bid in time for a NATO summit in June.

Any membership bid must be accepted by all 30 NATO states, a process that could take four months to a year.

Finland declared independence in 1917 after 150 years of Russian rule. During World War II, its vastly outnumbered army fought off a Soviet invasion, ­before a peace deal in which it ceded several border areas to Moscow. The Nordic nation remained neutral during the Cold War in exchange for Soviet guarantees not to invade. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Finland firmly aligned itself with the West, by joining the EU and becoming a close partner of NATO.

Successive Finnish leaders shied away from full membership believing that military non-­alignment was the best way to maintain working relations with the Kremlin.

AFP