President of the United States Joe Biden said "last thing" Russia needs Finland’s accession to the NATO military alliance. He commented on the issue at a press conference in his first year on the government on Wednesday.
However, Biden seemed to confuse the prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) with the President Sauli Niinistö in his answer to the question of escalating border tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Biden replied that he had discussed the matter with the Prime Minister of Finland – when he actually spoke to President Niinistö over the phone on Tuesday.
"I spoke to the Prime Minister of Finland. And, you know, we are talking about Finland’s and Sweden’s concerns about Russia’s actions. The last thing Russia needs is for Finland to decide to change its position." Biden said referring to the possibility that Finland could apply for NATO.
"They did not say they would do so, but they are talking about what is actually going on and how outrageous Russia is." Biden added.
Biden and Niinistö discussed the matter "The importance of Finland’s close defense partnership with the United States and NATO"According to the White House, the security situation in Europe and options for finding solutions.
The "tallish" The call was initiated by the United States, the office of the President of the Republic says.
Marin: NATO application “highly unlikely” this season
Prime Minister Marin spoke to the news agency Reuters on Wednesday said it is "really unlikely" that Finland would apply for NATO membership at least during its current term.
However, he added that the option would remain open in the future, but stated that Finland "makes its own decisions" when it comes to foreign policy.
"No one can influence us, not the United States, not Russia, and no one else." Marin said.
Reuters also quoted a recent poll by Helsingin Sanomat, according to which only 28 per cent of respondents wanted Finland to join NATO, while 42 per cent opposed the idea.
This means an increase of eight percentage points in the number of people in favor of Finland’s NATO membership compared to a similar survey conducted at the end of 2019.
Source: The Nordic Page
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