Finland puts NATO pressure on Sweden – stirs Swedish debate

Former Prime Minister on the NATO issue

Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Staub is confident that Finland will soon apply for NATO membership.

He also has the feeling that Sweden is choosing the same path.

A lot depends on Sweden’s ability to make quick decisions, he tells Aftonbladet.

During a line talk on Saturday announced Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) that the country must make a decision in NATOquestion in the near future.

The doors to NATO are now open and Finland must decide on a request in the spring, says in the letter you quoted Swedish Yle.

According to the information Hovodstadsbladet Finland will leave a message before Easter.

The country’s former prime minister, Alexander Staub, said he was confident Finland would apply for NATO membership within a few weeks, up to a maximum of two months.

The decision-making process is in progress. He adds that a clear majority of the population, parties and political decision-makers support membership.

With a well-prepared application, the country will be part of the Defense Alliance at the end of the year, he continues.

Stubb: Sweden will follow Finland

Over the past week, he also felt that Sweden would join Finland in the NATO community.

He thinks it would be best if countries send in their applications at the same time, but he also says it depends on the Swedish government’s ability to make quick decisions.

– It is no longer an ideological issue, now the NATO issue is more and more relevant and related to our security. It is a matter of taking a stand. Which side of the story do we want to stand on? He continues, saying that it is not likely to be difficult to answer in today’s situation.

The Prime Minister opens the door for membership

It remains to be seen how the government will respond to Finland’s announcement soon. Aftonbladet called Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson to ask how the Social Democrats view Finland’s actions, but got no answer.

Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson earlier warned that NATO membership would “destabilize” the region. Just a few days ago, I diverted the issue and opened an app for Defense Alliance.

– I do not rule out NATO membership in any way, but I want us to conduct a solid analysis of the opportunities that we have in this situation, the threats and risks with them, to make the best decision for Sweden, Anderson says in the SVT “30 Minutes”.

Wallmark: Moderates demand a quick message

Like Alexander Staab, the foreign policy spokesman for the moderates believes that Sweden should follow Finland and advance at the same time.

– The idea of ​​Finnish membership where Sweden abroad does not exist, is ridiculous. Swedish Social Democrats should step up the pace and deal with it themselves, says Hans Wollmark.

It is an incredibly transformative event for the security policy climate in Europe. It cannot be ignored and there is no indication that Finland is heading straight for membership. We will put ourselves in an incredibly vulnerable position if we don’t do the same.

During his speech on Saturday, the Finnish prime minister warned that the decision – whatever it is – will have consequences. She also commented that Finland’s relations with Russia would be affected.

We will deal with it the same way Finland does. The difference is that Finland has more than 130 km of land border with Russia. If Finland can do it, Sweden can, too, says Hans Wollmark.

Politician: Sweden must be informed

Stig-Björn Ljunggren, a political scientist and political editor for the SPD southeast, says the Finnish decision will intensify the Swedish debate about NATO.

– Then the Social Democrats, at least large parts of them, will adapt. You can then use this as a kind of excuse to stray from the previous streak, he says.

He does not think it is possible for Finland to apply for NATO membership without Sweden knowing about it. However, it is not certain that Sweden will officially follow the same line.

Finland will not say it agrees without first coordinating with Sweden. We already have a defense union that they cannot join without it working for Sweden, he says, and continues:

In practice, Sweden is already a member of NATO.

Stig-Björn Ljunggren also says you should make sure you have a defense guarantee from NATO before you apply for membership.

– That is, if we are attacked, we will get help. What happened in Ukraine could be described as they were on their way to NATO, but without this guarantee, he said.

At the moment, it is not official that Finland and Sweden have this guarantee, but it is implied, he continues. On the other hand, he warns about how Russia might act if Finland or Sweden make a formal declaration of their desire to join NATO.

– The period between you saying that you applied and before you did so is life-threatening, especially since the Russian doctrine requires that NATO not be allowed to approach their borders, he said.