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Finland's leaders call for NATO membership 'without delay', Russia warns it will 'inflict serious damage'

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Finland's leaders say they're in favour of rapidly applying for NATO membership, paving the way for a historic expansion of the alliance that could deal a serious blow to Russia as its military struggles with its war in Ukraine.

President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced the dramatic move on Thursday.

It means Finland is all but certain to join NATO, though a few steps remain before the application process can begin.

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Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin attends a signing ceremony at Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida official residence in Tokyo, Japan, 11 May 2022. (AP)

Neighbouring Sweden is expected to decide on joining NATO in coming days.

"NATO membership would strengthen Finland's security. As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defence alliance," Niinisto and Marin said in a joint statement.

"Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay," they said.

"We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days."

Russia reacted to the development with a warning. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that if Finland joins NATO, it will "inflict serious damage to Russian-Finnish relations as well as stability and security in Northern Europe."

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Finland's President Sauli Niinisto makes a point during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on Wednesday. (AP)

"Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps of military-technical and other characteristics in order to counter the emerging threats to its national security," the ministry said.

"History will determine why Finland needed to turn its territory into a bulwark of military face-off with Russia while losing independence in making its own decisions."

The ministry's statement follows Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's comment earlier Thursday that Finland's decision wouldn't help stability and security in Europe. Peskov said Russia's response will depend on NATO's moves to expand its infrastructure closer to the Russian borders.

Previously, the Kremlin had warned of "military and political repercussions" if Sweden and Finland decide to join NATO.

Should they apply, there will be an interim period lasting from when an application has been handed in until all 30 NATO members' parliaments have ratified it.

In NATO member Estonia, which also borders Russia, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted "history being made by our northern neighbours".

She pledged to support "a rapid accession process" for Finland into NATO.

Finland's announcement came a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited both Finland and Sweden to sign a military cooperation agreement.

The UK pledged on Wednesday to come to the aid of Sweden and Finland if the two Nordic nations came under attack.

During a joint news conference with Johnson and Niinisto in Helsinki, the Finnish head of state said Moscow could only blame itself should his nation of 5.5 million people become a NATO member.

"You (Russia) caused this. Look at the mirror," Niinisto said pointedly on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Niinisto tweeted that he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about Finland's firm support for Ukraine and the country's intention to join NATO. Niinisto said Zelenskyy "expressed his full support for it".

In 2017, Sweden and Finland joined the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, which is designed to be more flexible and respond more quickly than the larger NATO alliance.

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Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin meet prior to a meeting on whether to seek NATO membership in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 13. (Photo: Paul Wennerholm) (AP)

It uses NATO standards and doctrine, so it can operate in conjunction with NATO, the United Nations or other multinational coalitions. Fully operational since 2018, the force has held a number of exercises both independently and in cooperation with NATO.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 prompted Finland and Sweden to reconsider their historic tradition of military nonalignment and join the 30-member NATO.

After Moscow launched its attack on Ukraine, public support in the two countries started to quickly shift toward membership in NATO, first in Finland and a bit later in Sweden.

The latest opinion poll conducted by Finnish public broadcaster YLE showed earlier this week that 76 per cent of Finns are in favour of joining NATO, a big change from earlier years when only 20-30 per cent of respondents favoured such military alignment.

Speaking to European Union lawmakers on Thursday, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said "the war started by Russia jeopardises the security and stability of the whole of Europe."

RUSSIA ATTACKS UKRAINE​

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Haavisto said Russia's unpredictable behaviour is a serious concern for Finland, notably Moscow's readiness to wage "high-risk operations" that could lead to many casualties, including among Russians themselves.

Should Finland become a NATO member, it would mean the biggest change in the Nordic country's defense and security policy since World

War II when it fought two lost wars against the Soviet Union. Along with Sweden, Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and has the longest border with Russia out of all the bloc's 27 members.

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde tweeted that Finland's announcement gave an "important message" and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that there were "strong messages" from Finland's president and prime minister.

During the Cold War, Finland stayed away from NATO to avoid provoking the Soviet Union, instead opting to remain a neutral buffer between the East and the West while maintaining good relations with Moscow and also with the United States.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the military alliance would welcome Finland and Sweden — both of which have strong, modern militaries — with open arms and expects the accession process to be speedy and smooth.

NATO officials say the Nordic duo's accession process could be done "in a couple of weeks".

The most time consuming part of the procedure — ratification of the country's protocol by the 30 NATO member countries — could even be completed in less time than the four months or so that it took West Germany, Turkey and Greece to join in the 1950s, when there were only 12 members to ratify their applications.

"These are not normal times," one NATO official said this week, discussing the possible applications of Finland and Sweden.

The official was briefing reporters about the accession process on condition that he not be named as no application has been made by the two countries.

 
Stalin Should have ended the finnish state in 1945.

"Finland" was historically part of Russia. They are geographically close to st.petersburg/european Russia. Russia let them secede, but requested a land swap that would push them away from threatning st.petersburg.

Finland refused. They went to war against a gutted soviet army that had been purged of half its officer force recenly by stalin. THEY LOST THE WAR and were near complete collapse when they started begging for peace. Which Russia gave them generous terms for the loser.

not 2 years later, they allied with nazi germany, invaded the soviet union, and even participated in the siege of st.petersburg that caused the starvation of millions of Russians.

Round 2, Russia had defeated the Nazis, and was planning on retaking finland and ending them. AGAIN they took pity on finland, and in exchange for Finland switching sides against germany, they were allowed to exist. In exchange for FOREVER REMAINING NEUTRAL, AND NEVER THREATNING St. PETERSBURG"

How is it in Finlands interest to now turn back on this agreement, and volutarily deploy foreign military forces right on the Russian heartland?

Is it because the CIA said so? or their 30 year old democrazies cashier prime minister ? Why are the euros soo dumb and incapable of independent thought? its ridiculous how incompetent western governments have become
 
Meh, Russia can't do shit about it.
Lol, Russia has failed to take a single city in Ukraine so far, so its no wonder Finland feels confident joining NATO. But do they have anything to gain from it? even if Russia tried to invade Finland their NATO "allies" might throw them under the bus like they did with the Ukrainians
 
Lol, Russia has failed to take a single city in Ukraine so far, so its no wonder Finland feels confident joining NATO. But do they have anything to gain from it? even if Russia tried to invade Finland their NATO "allies" might throw them under the bus like they did with the Ukrainians
Well, that's the real test for NATO, Russia has not tested this yet - Poland, Baltic States have not been touched/threatened - Finland wants to feel the same level of protection - Russia should hesitate in invading Finland as much they hesitate for Poland. Finland is armed to teeth already, much more than Ukraine and they know how to fight.
Winter War was an epic disaster for USSR, just look at the population ratio, they gave a very bloody nose to USSR, if not for the inevitable difference in resources available, Finland would be victorious. Any adventure by Russia will be much worse this time, Finnish people remember what happened to western Karelia after Finnish citizens were evacuated - left in ruins.
 
Russian failure in Ukraine has given confidence to Finland. They know very well Russia hasn't got the capability to harm them. More countries will follow Finland. Russia should have made Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in to a NATO style alliance, and then with their blessing should have started the "Special Operations". This way they would have support on international forums, economic aid for war, weapons etc.
 
Russia should attack Poland. We will see if US has balls to take the risk of nuke war to engage in the war. I bet US will lose the coward game. Those countries who believe once they join in NATO they will get protection from US will be quiet
 
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西方政府在对俄罗斯的战略上很失败,他们不断试探俄罗斯的底线,反而让自己陷入两难处境。一方面他们不得不敌对俄罗斯坚定立场,另外一方面他们又不得不买俄罗斯的能源,西方国家在面对俄罗斯时,显得过于急躁,犯了战略上的错误,他们要真正瓦解俄罗斯就需要不断吸收俄罗斯的人口,让俄罗斯出现人口危机,使用媒体蛊惑俄罗斯的年轻人让他们羡慕西方,鼓励俄罗斯的富豪来他们自己国家投资,让俄罗斯人安于享受,消灭俄罗斯的数学能力,用高薪职位挖走他们的科学家,最后一步,等普京死亡,等待俄罗斯出现一个软弱的领导人,原本你们做的很好,但今天你们的行为,短期内能够伤害到俄罗斯,长期来看无疑是战略上的巨大失误,这就好像植入电脑病毒,病毒植入99%,现在直接重头开始,前功尽弃,今天战略上的失败,未来必定会导致很严重的后果,芬兰加不加入北约其实没那么重要了。

No the West hasn't. If anything Putin is showing a weak hand by jumping into a War unprepared and making Russia (and himself) look incompetent by not being able to win in a few days. They haven't even achieved air superiority and are forced to employ crude missile/artillery volleys instead of precision munitions.

We are just on the sidelines tossing the Ukrainian David a few stones in it's slingshot fight with the big Russian Goliath.

Russia already has had a brain drain. They are just a shell of a country.
 
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Lol, Russia has failed to take a single city in Ukraine so far, so its no wonder Finland feels confident joining NATO. But do they have anything to gain from it? even if Russia tried to invade Finland their NATO "allies" might throw them under the bus like they did with the Ukrainians
If USA is selling F35s to a country , it will defend it. If it's in NATO, then it will definitely defend it.
 
Russia should attack Poland. We will see if US has balls to take the risk of nuke war to engage in the war. I bet US will lose the coward game. Those countries who believe once they join in NATO they will get protection from US will be quiet
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You guys should prepare for the day when Russian missiles hit targets in Poland. Must be a long day for Biden.

Repeating the same thing over and over again won't make it magically happen.
 
go ahead Finland do it

little Vady cant do Sh*t

 

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