Finnish Lawmakers Begin NATO Debate as Nordics Weigh Russia Risk
Finnish Lawmakers Begin NATO Debate as Nordics Weigh Russia Risk
(Bloomberg) -- Finland’s parliament started a debate on security policy on Wednesday that’s expected to pave the way to an application to join defense alliance NATO in reaction to neighboring Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The Social Democrats of Prime Minister Sanna Marin, the last major group in parliament to take a stand on the issue, signaled they would be ready to back a move to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization if deemed necessary by lawmakers and the country’s leadership.
“It’s clear that Russia’s actions have brought Finland several steps closer to the necessity of military alignment,” said Antti Lindtman, Social Democrats’ parliamentary group leader. “We are ready to take decisions that best guarantee security for Finns.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has spurred debate about a potential NATO entry in both Finland and neighboring Sweden, which have long shunned membership to keep the military balance in the Baltic Sea area. Russia has repeatedly warned both with potential consequences, with President Vladimir Putin seeking guarantees against widening the bloc before the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has “given all its warnings, both publicly and through bilateral channels,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian state TV channel Rossiya 24 earlier on Wednesday.
Here’s what lawmakers had to say earlier today:
Atte Harjanne, a lawmaker for the Greens, spoke in an interview on Bloomberg TV in Helsinki:
- “Finns lost all the remaining trust, the little bit of trust we had on the Russian regime.”
- “We’ve seen an aggressor that doesn’t care about human rights, doesn’t care about the security of Europe, but is able to do a brutal attack like this.”
- “I don’t see a direct military threat from Russia, but of course the kind of regime it is, it’s the main threat in our foreign policy.”
- “Our military is relatively strong, and the Russian military is at the moment tied to Ukraine” and “the Finnish society is relatively resilient” in the face of any cyber threats, he said.
Elina Valtonen, member of parliament for the opposition National Coalition Party, said:
- “The war in Ukraine has showed everyone that we need the deterrence that NATO brings us, and also Finland, and Sweden of course, would be a very good addition to the alliance.”
- “The way Russia has acted in this horrible war has been an eye-opener for everybody.”
- “I don’t think Russia will be hugely surprised if we apply for NATO.”
- “Probably we will have a lively, but a very calm debate, in a Finnish way. People who still haven’t made up their minds, some of the MPs, will have a chance to discuss the matter.”
Jouni Ovaska, lawmaker for the Center Party, said:
- Russia’s attack on Feb. 24 on Ukraine “changed everything,” he said.
- “There’s already quite a big majority” that supports joining, he said. “As we see in the polls, the Finns have changed their views and ideas totally from what they have thought before about NATO, and so has the parliament.”
- “We know what Russia thinks about NATO, but we don’t let that make any difference to our decisions. We make our own decisions here from our own perspective.”
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