Deepening defense cooperation with the United States and Sweden could be an alternative to joining NATO, President Sauli Niinistö suggested in an interview with the Financial Times, which was published on Sunday. Niinistö discussed security policy and the possible advantages and disadvantages of joining the military alliance.
According to Niinistö, Finland has two options to secure its position: NATO membership or a closer partnership with the United States and Sweden. In any case, Finland is now looking for a change in its current situation, said Niinistö.
– The starting point is that we look at something other than continuing like this. All of these options have the advantage of improving our security. Or we make sure that our stability is maintained and that we can make sure we live [a] safe environment, Niinistö said.
Meetings with Swedish and US leaders
Closer ties with the United States and Sweden have been discussed in recent discussions with their leaders, including Niinistö’s brief meeting with the President of the United States. Joe Biden In the White House in early March.
At that meeting, co-operation was discussed between Swedes, Finns and Americans, and we got a lot of understanding from Washington, Niinistö told FT.
Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen (Central) also recently visited the United States to meet his American counter number. He, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) and the Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen (The Greens) have also all had discussions with their Swedish colleagues over the last couple of weeks.
Sweden and Finland are traditionally non-aligned "confirmed members" NATO’s Partnership for Peace program. They regularly participate in NATO-led operations and exercises, including the ongoing Cold Response 2022 in neighboring Norway.
Opinion polls following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine show that the majority of Finns are now in favor of NATO membership for the first time, even many supporters of the traditionally anti-NATO Left Alliance. France Télécom quoted a recent survey of Yle, which showed a record high of 62 per cent support for joining the union.
Title reformulated
“I fully understand that e.g. [joining] NATO may look like our worries are over. But all the different options involve risks that we need to identify. . . Currently, the biggest risk is the escalation of the situation in Europe, Niinistö said in an interview.
In separate tweets on Sunday morning, Niinistö and his office asked the British newspaper to change the title of the story, suggesting it was misleading.
The title changed soon "Finland’s accession to NATO brings with it “a high risk of escalation,” the president says" to "Finland warns of “high risk of escalation” in Europe in NATO membership debate".
France Télécom also removed the image of the former Minister of Defense Jussi Niinistö (Finns / Blue Reform), which is not affiliated with the President and resigned almost three years ago.
Source: The Nordic Page