*Paromita Das
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has created a sense of urgency among other countries, particularly in Europe, to strengthen their defense capabilities.
According to recent reports, Finland and Sweden are planning to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as soon as possible.
According to The Times, US officials stated that NATO membership for both Nordic countries was “a topic of conversation and multiple sessions” during last week’s talks between the alliance’s foreign ministers from Sweden and Finland.
Russia, on the other hand, has warned both countries about potential bids. The Kremlin stated on Monday (April 11) that the possible accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO military alliance would not bring stability to Europe.
“We have repeatedly stated that the alliance remains a tool geared toward confrontation… and its further expansion will not bring additional security to the European continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
He made the remarks to reporters during a conference call after being asked about Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that Finland and Sweden could be admitted “quite quickly,” but NATO has not stated what a fast-track process would entail.
Rachel Rizzo, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, stated that if both countries applied for membership, their admission would need to be approved by all 30 allies.
“They work so closely with NATO in terms of exercises and, in light of the Russian invasion, enhanced intelligence sharing that I do believe that the relationship that NATO already has with Finland and Sweden means that those two countries already have a certain amount of protection,” she said.
Comments are closed.