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HELSINKI, Finland — A Finnish cupboard minister mentioned Friday it was “extremely seemingly” that Finland would apply for NATO membership, simply hours after Russia warned of unspecified “penalties” ought to Helsinki and Stockholm be part of the navy alliance.
Moscow’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine has sparked a dramatic U-turn in public and political opinion in each Finland and Sweden over long-held insurance policies of navy non-alignment.
Finland’s prime minister mentioned Wednesday that Nordic nation would determine whether or not to use for NATO membership “inside weeks”, and Sweden can also be discussing becoming a member of the alliance.
“At this level I can say that it’s extremely seemingly, however the determination just isn’t but made,” mentioned Finland’s European Affairs Minister Tytti Tuppurainen.
“The folks of Finland, they appear to have already made up their thoughts and there’s a big majority for the NATO membership,” she informed Britain’s Sky Information.
Russia’s overseas ministry mentioned earlier Friday that the selection was as much as Finland and Sweden.
“However they need to perceive the implications of such a step for our bilateral relations and for the structure of European safety as an entire,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mentioned in an announcement.
Finland has an extended historical past with Russia, with which it shares a 1,300-kilometer border. In 1917 it declared independence after 150 years of Russian rule.
Throughout World Warfare II, its vastly outnumbered military fought off a Soviet invasion, earlier than a peace deal noticed it cede a number of border areas to Moscow.
In the course of the Chilly Warfare, Finland remained impartial in alternate for ensures from Moscow that it could not invade.
The Finnish authorities hopes to construct a parliamentary consensus on the problem over the approaching weeks, with MPs resulting from hear from safety specialists.
Many analysts predict Finland may submit a bid in time for a NATO summit in June.
Any membership bid have to be accepted by all 30 NATO states, a course of that would take 4 months to a yr.
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