Media speculation in the two countries suggest the two might apply in mid-May.
“It’s their decision,“ Stoltenberg said. ”But if they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed, and I expect that process to go quickly.”
Stoltenberg said he’s “confident that there are ways to bridge that interim period in a way which is good enough and works for both Finland and Sweden.” Before launching the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that NATO stop expanding and pull its troops back from Russia’s borders. So the prospect of neighboring Finland, and Sweden, joining the trans-Atlantic alliance is unlikely to be welcomed in Moscow.
In the postwar period, however, Finland pursued pragmatic political and economic ties with Moscow, remaining militarily nonaligned and a neutral buffer between East and West.
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