Will Finland decide on its application to join NATO on May 12?

Deciding on join NATO will be launched on May 1 with two steps including the President Finland Sauli Niinisto first announced his approval for Russia’s Nordic neighbor to join the Western defense alliance, followed by parliamentary groups that agreed to the application, the Iltalehti newspaper reported.

Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine has pushed Finland and Sweden to decide to join NATO and abandon the decades-old belief that peace is best maintained by remain neutral, do not openly choose a party.

Reuters news agency was unable to immediately verify the information provided by Iltalehti newspaper.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels, April 28, 2022. (Photo: AP)

According to the Finnish constitution, the President determines the foreign and security policy of Finland with the cooperation of the Finnish Government.

The decision will be confirmed during a meeting between the President and key ministers of the Government of Finland following the initial announcement by the President and Parliament, the newspaper reported.

Russia, which shares a 1,300 km (810 mi) border with Finland and has a history of conflict before 1945, has warned that Moscow will deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in the area. Kaliningrad’s Baltic coast if Finland and Sweden decide to join NATO.

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