Germany declares support for NATO expansion because of Russia-Ukraine war
Germany declares support for Finland and Sweden’s accession NATO.
Virtue declared support for NATO expansion because Russia’s attack on Ukraine was a “turning point” for security relations in Europe.
Germany will support the admission of Finland and Sweden to the NATO military alliance after the two Nordic countries expressed their desire to join despite decades of neutrality, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz said.
Speaking to reporters on May 3 after two days of closed-door meetings with counterparts Finland and Sweden In a town near Berlin, Chancellor Scholz pledged to support both countries’ efforts to join the Western military bloc if they applied for membership.
“For us, what is clear is: If these two countries decide to join the NATO alliance, they can count on our support,” Scholz said. “Even in the period before NATO decides on the membership of the two countries, they can always count on Germany’s support. As Europeans, we feel obliged to do the same,” he added.
Chancellor Scholz’s comments come after reports that Finland could announce its intention to join NATO as early as next week. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto is expected to announce the move on May 12. It remains unclear whether Sweden will follow suit, although the country’s parliament recently said it would conduct a review of Stockholm’s security policy before making a decision.
While previous reports said both countries would submit applications at the same time, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that Helsinki could proceed alone without visiting the neighboring country.
“At the moment, I think in parliament there is an opinion that we will apply without Sweden,” Foreign Minister Haavisto told the Times of Ireland in an interview last week. “It would be nice to apply at the same time as Sweden, but that is up to Sweden to decide. It’s too early to guess the date, but I think we will do it before the summer,” added Mr. Pekka Haavisto.
Speaking to journalists after the German chancellor’s announcement on May 3, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Stockholm had not yet made a decision and that “all options are on the table”.
For her part, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said: “Finland and Sweden are facing important decisions regarding their own security. ‘s attack Russia enters Ukraine has dramatically changed our security environment, and that’s irreversible.”
Similarly, the German chancellor also called Russia’s military operation a “turning point” for security on the continent, saying the attack prompted Berlin to reverse its long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to the regions. area in conflict. “That policy change is the right and necessary thing. We have been, are and will be providing large-scale assistance to Ukraine,” said Prime Minister Scholz.
While, Russia warns Finland and Sweden should not join NATO, arguing that it would not bring stability to Europe.
“We have repeatedly said that NATO remains an instrument for confrontation and that its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Newsweek. Peskov told reporters at a press conference on April 11 when asked about the possibility of Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
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