NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that the 30-strong US-led alliance would “warmly welcome” Finland should the Nordic country apply to join amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said Thursday that the country, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, will soon clarify next steps regarding the possibility of it applying for NATO membership.
Local media have revealed that Finnish support for NATO membership has reached an all-time high following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Friday, NATO’s Stoltenberg said Finland’s move to consider joining the NATO military alliance was a “direct consequence” of Russia’s February 24 invasion of its neighbor.
“The message from NATO and mine is that Finland must decide,” Stoltenberg said.
“We will respect the decision, whatever the conclusion, but if Finland decides to apply for membership, I am confident that the NATO allies will give it a warm welcome – and we can make the decision fairly quickly, to admit them as a member, Allies,” he added.
Sweden has also signaled it is ready to reconsider its non-alliance policy as the war in Ukraine sparks a sharp surge in support for NATO membership. A series of opinion polls in Sweden published since early March show that almost half are now in favor of joining NATO.\
Stoltenberg’s comments come shortly after a two-day meeting of foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and as Russia proceeds Deployment of troops to eastern Ukraine.
It is believed that the Kremlin is preparing for an offensive in the Donbass region in the coming days.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday urged the military alliance to provide Kyiv with more weapons to defend against Russian forces.
“Guns, Guns and Guns”
Kuleba warned of further atrocities, such as the killings of civilians in Bucha, unless more military aid is quickly provided to Ukraine. Ukraine is not a NATO member but has been supported by the alliance since Russia invaded on February 24 – and many member states have already supplied arms to Kyiv.
However, there are fears that supplying more weapons to Ukraine, especially heavier offensive equipment such as tanks and fighter jets, could lead to a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
Ahead of Thursday’s ministerial meeting, Kuleba said: “My agenda is very simple. It contains only three points. It’s guns, guns and more guns.” He warned that the resistance of Ukrainian forces in recent weeks would be accompanied by “enormous casualties” in the absence of even greater NATO support.
NATO’s Stoltenberg on Friday declined to comment on the specific types of weapons that would be made available to Ukraine, citing “operational reasons”. However, he said the alliance will provide Kyiv with a “wide range” of both older and more modern weapons.
Stoltenberg said NATO allies recognized the urgent need to offer further support to Ukraine.