Russia suffers a blow to NATO as Sweden & Finland agree to join ‘within weeks’

In the midst of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Sweden and Finland are said to have reached an agreement to join NATO.

According to Swedish and Finnish newspapers, their respective governments have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time. They stated that the combined submissions will take place in the middle of May.

The Swedish government, according to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, has conveyed a desire to Finland that the two countries apply together in the week commencing May 22.

Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Sweden’s Expressen tabloid.

According to the news sites, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has increased support for Sweden and Finland to join NATO.

Despite not being members, both Nordic countries already work closely with NATO, allowing the alliance’s soldiers to conduct exercises on their territory.

In recent years, Helsinki and Stockholm have significantly increased their bilateral defense cooperation.

Sweden earlier announced its intention to apply for NATO membership on April 13, infuriating Moscow MPs.

The move was revealed by sources to Sweden’s SVD tabloid on the same day Finland began its debate on joining NATO following days of uncertainty.

Sweden’s prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, is said to be eager for her country to join the transatlantic alliance by June.

Finland is similarly hoping to start its application process “within weeks, not within months”, its prime minister Sanna Marin said on April 13.

According to Swedish media earlier this month, the Swedish application was scheduled to be filed at the NATO conference in Madrid from June 20 to June 29.

 For the latest International News Follow BOL News on Google News. Read more on Latest International News on oldsite.bolnews.com