Finland appears to be getting closer to joining NATO’s military alliance despite Russia threatening military consequences if it joins. The country’s politicians and NATO itself have pointed to the possibility of Finland joining soon, and a recent poll showed that a majority of the country supports membership in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland’s Prime Minister Sana Marin said on Saturday that the decision on whether or not to join should be made “this spring”, the Financial Times reported. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on March 31 that while Finland had to make the decision to join the bloc, it expected NATO to allow the country to join quickly. “If they apply, I expect that they will be very welcome and that we will find a way to quickly agree on the accession protocol and monitor Finland’s accession,” he said. The National Coalition of Finland, the government’s main opposition party, also supports NATO membership. “In order to improve our security and guarantee our independence, we must join NATO. We still have a strong and aggressive neighbor,” said Petri Orpo, the party’s leader, according to the FT. Finland shares a long border with Russia. Russia has threatened Finland if it decides to seek membership. In March, a Russian Foreign Ministry official warned of “serious military and political consequences” if Finland or Finland’s neighbor Finland tried to join. Russian President Vladimir Putin has used the possibility of NATO expanding further east as a reason for invading Ukraine. He carried out the invasion of Russia as an act of self-defense against the development of the alliance. There also appears to be increased public support in Finland for joining the alliance. A poll conducted by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum Eva in March, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, found that 60% of people supported Finland’s accession to NATO – a huge leap from previous years. NATO membership could also pose its own risks to Finland’s security, especially if Russia sees it as an act of aggression. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said last month that applying to join NATO would pose a “major risk” of escalation in Europe. Finland was once part of the Russian Empire. After gaining its independence, the Soviet Union invaded in 1939, but reacted successfully.
