Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
US Secretary of Defense:Pete Hegseth: Over the weekend I directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the US CENTCOM
US President Donald Trump: Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Three armed Mossad spies were arrested south of Tehran as they were planning to carry out terrorist operations
Joint Arab-Islamic statement affirms commitment to dialogue and diplomacy as the sole means to resolve crises in the region
Joint Arab-Islamic statement stressed the need to prevent any targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities, which are under international oversight
Joint Arab-Islamic statement calls for an immediate halt to hostilities and respect for the sovereignty of states
Joint statement by foreign ministers describes the Israeli attacks on Iran a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter
22 Arab and Islamic countries condemn the Israeli attacks on Iran in a joint statement
Israeli media: A missile interceptor failed in Tel Aviv a short while ago; no reports of casualties
Israeli media: A fire broke out near Bir al-Sabee (Beersheba) in the western al-Naqab (Negev) as a result of an Iranian missile impact

Finland, Sweden debate possibility of joining NATO

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 13 Apr 2022 18:49
4 Min Read

Finland and Sweden could soon join NATO at the negotiations table for talks regarding the two country's membership, and Russia responds.

  • x
  • NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg  with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde
    NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde

Finland is set to release Wednesday an official assessment of how the war in Ukraine allegedly changed its prospects for security, kicking off a process that could see Helsinki demanding NATO accession.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry argued that its assessment, known as a white paper, would not advocate for nor against Helsinki's accession into the alliance; it would spark a debate about the country's defense.

Finland, alongside its neighbor to the West, Sweden, is expected to request NATO membership in the coming months - before summer. Their accession, if it were to happen, would redefine European security and would be met with opposition from Russia, which has been very vocal about its opposition to NATO's expansion.

"We will have very careful discussions, but we will also not take any more time than we have to in this process because the situation is, of course, very severe," Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters in a nod to a decision being made before summer.

Sweden, on the other hand, still has not fully made up its mind with regards to joining the alliance, for Stockholm has opposed NATO altogether, and is non-aligned militarily, just like Finland. 

A complicated past

The country's Social Democrats said they would rethink their position on the alliance in the coming month, not going much into detail about the amount of support that would be given nor the timeframe of the decision-making.

"We need to consider it," Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said. "We have to analyze the situation to see what's best for the Swedish people. We are not going to rush into anything [...] There are risks and possibilities with all the different alternatives for action and all the different scenarios."

Related News

Iran signals no new concessions in nuclear talks with US, WSJ reports

Sanders warns against US action in 'illegal Netanyahu war' on Iran

US and NATO officials had signaled last week that Helsinki and Stockholm would be granted membership in the alliance were they to apply during a discussion about NATO's expansion.

The alliance has ties with both nordic nations, as they have cooperated militarily, trained their troops with the alliance's, and they meet the alliance's criteria for accession, namely, according to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, the "political, democratic, civilian control over the security institutions and the armed forces."

"We've exercised; we've trained with them. They bring very capable militaries," US ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, said. "They are some of our closest allies in Europe, and so I can’t imagine a situation where there would be tremendous resistance to this idea."

Russia rebuts 

Russia has criticized accusations that it posed a threat to the two countries discussing a possible NATO membership in light of regional tensions.

"These claims [over an alleged Russian threat] are unintelligent. They are not based on facts. They are in the realm of propaganda and provocations. They go against the national interests of those countries," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday in response to statements from Helsinki and Stockholm about the matter.

"I believe it would be wrong to consider these statements as an independent opinion," she added after Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said her country's citizens must make their own security decisions.

Zakharova argued that the Scandinavian politicians advocating for joining NATO serve not the interests of their people but rather the interests of the US. 

Moscow's response came chiefly due to media reports saying Finland and Sweden were ready to join NATO as early as summer.

US officials said NATO membership for both Nordic countries was "a topic of conversation and multiple sessions" during talks between the alliance's foreign ministers last week attended by Sweden and Finland, The Times reported.

And though Moscow opposes the alliance's expansion, it does not see the accession of Finland and Sweden into the bloc as an existential threat, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov underlined, Russia will work on its Western flank to make it more sophisticated in terms of security in the face of NATO creeping in on its northern borders.

  • United States
  • Nato
  • Finland
  • Russia
  • Sweden
  • Ukraine
  • European Union
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Iranian missiles impact Israeli sites in Tel Aviv in 2nd wave

Iran's missiles impact 'strategic' Israeli site in Tel Aviv

  • Politics
  • 14 Jun 2025
Bin Salman: Islamic world backs Iran in call to Pezeshkian

MBS says Islamic world backs Iran in call with Pezeshkian

  • MENA
  • 15 Jun 2025
Smoke rises after an Iranian ballistic missile directly struck Tel Aviv, Occupied Palestine, June 13, 2025 (AP)

Op. True Promise 3: Iran's ballistic missiles strike Tel Aviv

  • MENA
  • 13 Jun 2025
'Israel' launches major strike against Iran's nuclear program

'Israel' launches massive aggression on Iran

  • MENA
  • 13 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Smoke rises from an oil storage facility after it appeared to have been struck by an Israeli strike on Saturday, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah, regional media authorities condemn Israeli IRIB bombing

The trace of a projectile is seen before hitting Tel Aviv, early Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)
Politics

'Israel' bans foreign journalists from covering Haifa oil refinery

In this Dec. 23, 2019 file photo released by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, technicians work at the Arak heavy water reactor's secondary circuit near Arak, Iran (AEOI)
Politics

Iran signals no new concessions in nuclear talks with US, WSJ reports

An IRIB correspondent reporting live after the broadcaster's headquarters were struck by Israeli airstrikes, Tehran, June 16, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

Following blatant threats, 'Israel' bombs Iran's state broadcaster

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS