Neutral Finland is preparing to decide whether to join NATO as public support for joining the defensive alliance doubles to 60 percent after Russia began its Ukraine offensive
Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, left, participates in a media conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022.
But Russia's Ukraine assault on February 24 saw public support for joining NATO double from 30 to 60 percent, according to a series of polls. "My guess is that the application will be filed sometime during the month of May" in time for the June NATO summit in Madrid, Stubb said.Finland declared independence in 1917 after 150 years of Russian rule, only for its vastly outnumbered army to fight off an attempted Soviet invasion during the Second World War inflicting heavy losses on the Red Army.
Last week Finland's government agreed on a 40 percent hike in defence spending by 2026, to further strengthen the country's position. A number of MPs have also recently announced similar changes of heart regarding Finland's "NATO question" — although many more are keeping their positions to themselves awaiting more detailed discussions.Only six of Finland's 200 MPs in a recent poll by public broadcaster Yle openly voiced anti-NATO views, including Markus Mustajarvi from the Left Alliance party
Instead, he cites Finland's own defence capabilities which are "so strong that they would force Russia to think what price it would pay for attacking."