Finland's leaders on Thursday announced that they were in favor of quickly applying for a NATO membership that would pave the way towards a historic expansion of the alliance, drawing a warning from Moscow.
The country's inclusion in the alliance is expected to deal a severe blow to Russia as its military already struggles to win its fight against Ukraine. President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin were the ones who announced the decision. It means that Finland is all but certain to join the Western military alliance.
Finland's NATO Membership
However, there will be some steps required to be taken before the application process with NATO can begin. The situation comes as Sweden, a neighboring European country, is also expected to decide on seeking NATO membership in the following days.
In a joint statement, Niinisto and Marin said that NATO membership would strengthen their country's security as a whole. Having Finland as a member would also bolster the entire defense alliance's military power, as per the Associated Press.
The two leaders said that the country must apply for NATO membership "without delay" and said they hope that the national steps still needed to be done to make the decision will be taken quickly in the next few days. In response, Moscow issued a warning after learning about the new development.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Finland becoming a member of NATO would "inflict serious damage to Russian-Finnish relations as well as stability and security in Northern Europe. The ministry added that Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps of military-technical and other characteristics to counter the emerging threats to its national security.
According to Yahoo News, Marin's Social Democratic Party is also expected to announce a decision about joining the alliance on Saturday. The five-party governing coalition in Helsinki is expected to announce on Sunday.
Moscow's Warning
The list of minimum requirements for joining NATO includes having a functioning democracy, treating minority populations fairly, and having the ability to make military contributions to NATO operations. When a nation meets the basic requirements, it is then asked to join what is called a membership action plan.
This plan will prepare the nation for membership with the Western military alliance but it still does not guarantee a spot in NATO. While the alliance has not yet had an "open-door policy" for aspiring members, Ukraine has been unable to be formally admitted.
The situation also comes after Ukraine said that it had damaged a Russian navy logistics ship in the Black sea, an area where renewed fighting between the two sides were observed in recent days. The Vsevolod Bobrov vessel was believed to have been near Snake Island close to Ukraine's sea border with Romania.
Spokesman Serhiy Bratchuk for the Odesa regional military administration in southern Ukraine said that the feat was thanks to the country's naval seamen. He said that the support vessel caught fire and noted that it was one of Russia's newest additions to its fleet, Reuters reported.
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