> Finland has expressed a clear wish to the Swedish government that the two countries should act together and jointly apply for membership of NATO, Expressen learns.
>
> And there is now growing evidence that Sweden will also join the defence alliance.
>
> At noon on Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Sweden’s Magdalena Andersson have called a press conference.
>
> Shortly afterwards, Finland will present a new report on how membership of NATO could affect the country.
>
> The Social Democrats have called their own party to a decisive meeting on the NATO issue on 24 May, according to Aftonbladet.
> Tomas Nordenskiöld
>
> On Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin arrives in Stockholm for talks with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. The meeting between the two takes place at the same time as the new Finnish security policy analysis is to be presented in Finland.
>
> But the fact that the eastern neighbour now intends to apply for membership of NATO is already fairly clear. According to Expressen’s sources, the Swedish government has clearly stated that the country has the ambition to join.
>
> According to Expressen, the Finnish side has also expressed a clear desire to have Sweden on board, and that the two countries should apply for membership together.
>
> This is partly due to Finnish concerns about increased vulnerability if Finland unilaterally joins the defence alliance. And that Finland, together with the Baltic states, could find itself in a difficult situation in the event of war, with NATO finding it more difficult to rescue the countries, if Sweden remains outside the defence alliance.
> S moves on NATO issue
>
> The fact that Finland has clearly expressed a desire for joint action has been noted in Stockholm.
>
> The Swedish government believes that Finland’s ambition to join influences Sweden, but at the same time stresses that it is the security of Sweden that is decisive for the government’s decision on the issue.
>
> At the same time, however, the Social Democrats have begun to stir up a lot of excitement about the issue. On Monday, the party initiated an internal consultation process, stating that the previous security policy choice is based on “a reality that no longer exists” after the Russian attack on Ukraine.
>
> According to Aftonbladet, the S will hold a meeting on the NATO issue on 24 May – where a final decision is expected to be taken.
>
> The analysis of the S leadership and the government clearly points towards a Swedish application, even though nothing is clear. And Sweden could also end up in a more vulnerable position if it chooses to remain outside NATO on its own, is the analysis.
>
> The fact that the Swedish government and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson are now expressing a completely different openness to reconsidering the Swedish position on NATO is also based on the conclusion that the options they have been exploring in practice can now be discarded.
>
> These include an “EU solution” with deeper defence cooperation within the Union, something that the SSU youth union, among others, has advocated. But it is no longer “an option on the table”, at least not in the near future.
>
> Expanded bilateral agreements with other countries could also be a solution, but since Finland – with which Sweden has the closest cooperation – has so clearly declared that it wants to join NATO, this is not considered a possible solution at present either.
> New situation for both countries
>
> In practice, this means that only NATO membership is now on the table, or continued non-alignment. And then probably on its own without Finland.
>
> The S party stresses the importance of anchoring within the party, and that it does not want to anticipate that process. But at the same time it is clear that the leadership is analysing that it is probably in Sweden’s interest to join if Finland does so.
>
> Something that is highlighted as central from the Swedish government’s side is a statement by US President Joe Biden that the US will defend every inch of NATO territory, but is not prepared to go to war with Russia and thus start a third world war for a country that is not in NATO.
>
> According to several government sources interviewed by Expressen, this means a completely new situation for both Sweden and Finland.
>
> According to information provided to Expressen, the Swedish government wants to speed up the security policy analysis that is now underway, and in which all the parties in parliament are participating. This has also been a demand from the opposition. However, the S party stresses that the issue must be analysed thoroughly, and that the risks involved in an application must also be taken into account during the accession process itself.
>
> On Wednesday, Finland will present a new report on the advantages and disadvantages of Finnish membership of NATO. The presentation will take place at 13:00 – but before that, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will hear from her Finnish counterpart, Sanna Marin.
>
> The two prime ministers will meet over lunch today and then hold a joint press conference starting at 12.10.
>
> Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
2 comments
> Finland has expressed a clear wish to the Swedish government that the two countries should act together and jointly apply for membership of NATO, Expressen learns.
>
> And there is now growing evidence that Sweden will also join the defence alliance.
>
> At noon on Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Sweden’s Magdalena Andersson have called a press conference.
>
> Shortly afterwards, Finland will present a new report on how membership of NATO could affect the country.
>
> The Social Democrats have called their own party to a decisive meeting on the NATO issue on 24 May, according to Aftonbladet.
> Tomas Nordenskiöld
>
> On Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin arrives in Stockholm for talks with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. The meeting between the two takes place at the same time as the new Finnish security policy analysis is to be presented in Finland.
>
> But the fact that the eastern neighbour now intends to apply for membership of NATO is already fairly clear. According to Expressen’s sources, the Swedish government has clearly stated that the country has the ambition to join.
>
> According to Expressen, the Finnish side has also expressed a clear desire to have Sweden on board, and that the two countries should apply for membership together.
>
> This is partly due to Finnish concerns about increased vulnerability if Finland unilaterally joins the defence alliance. And that Finland, together with the Baltic states, could find itself in a difficult situation in the event of war, with NATO finding it more difficult to rescue the countries, if Sweden remains outside the defence alliance.
> S moves on NATO issue
>
> The fact that Finland has clearly expressed a desire for joint action has been noted in Stockholm.
>
> The Swedish government believes that Finland’s ambition to join influences Sweden, but at the same time stresses that it is the security of Sweden that is decisive for the government’s decision on the issue.
>
> At the same time, however, the Social Democrats have begun to stir up a lot of excitement about the issue. On Monday, the party initiated an internal consultation process, stating that the previous security policy choice is based on “a reality that no longer exists” after the Russian attack on Ukraine.
>
> According to Aftonbladet, the S will hold a meeting on the NATO issue on 24 May – where a final decision is expected to be taken.
>
> The analysis of the S leadership and the government clearly points towards a Swedish application, even though nothing is clear. And Sweden could also end up in a more vulnerable position if it chooses to remain outside NATO on its own, is the analysis.
>
> The fact that the Swedish government and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson are now expressing a completely different openness to reconsidering the Swedish position on NATO is also based on the conclusion that the options they have been exploring in practice can now be discarded.
>
> These include an “EU solution” with deeper defence cooperation within the Union, something that the SSU youth union, among others, has advocated. But it is no longer “an option on the table”, at least not in the near future.
>
> Expanded bilateral agreements with other countries could also be a solution, but since Finland – with which Sweden has the closest cooperation – has so clearly declared that it wants to join NATO, this is not considered a possible solution at present either.
> New situation for both countries
>
> In practice, this means that only NATO membership is now on the table, or continued non-alignment. And then probably on its own without Finland.
>
> The S party stresses the importance of anchoring within the party, and that it does not want to anticipate that process. But at the same time it is clear that the leadership is analysing that it is probably in Sweden’s interest to join if Finland does so.
>
> Something that is highlighted as central from the Swedish government’s side is a statement by US President Joe Biden that the US will defend every inch of NATO territory, but is not prepared to go to war with Russia and thus start a third world war for a country that is not in NATO.
>
> According to several government sources interviewed by Expressen, this means a completely new situation for both Sweden and Finland.
>
> According to information provided to Expressen, the Swedish government wants to speed up the security policy analysis that is now underway, and in which all the parties in parliament are participating. This has also been a demand from the opposition. However, the S party stresses that the issue must be analysed thoroughly, and that the risks involved in an application must also be taken into account during the accession process itself.
>
> On Wednesday, Finland will present a new report on the advantages and disadvantages of Finnish membership of NATO. The presentation will take place at 13:00 – but before that, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will hear from her Finnish counterpart, Sanna Marin.
>
> The two prime ministers will meet over lunch today and then hold a joint press conference starting at 12.10.
>
> Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
🇸🇪 What if we kissed 😳 under the NATO tree 🇫🇮