Russia-Ukraine war: NATO chief says Finland welcome to join allies – CNBC

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that the 30-member U.S.-led alliance would “warmly welcome” Finland should the Nordic country apply for membership in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine.Finland Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said Thursday that the country, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, would soon clarify the next steps on the possibility that it will apply for NATO membership.Local media outlets have shown Finnish support for NATO membership hitting a record high following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.Speaking to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Friday, NATO’s Stoltenberg said Finland’s move to consider joining the NATO military alliance was a “direct result” of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24.”The message from NATO and from me is that it is for Finland to decide,” Stoltenberg said.”We will respect the decision regardless of what the conclusion will be, but if Finland decides to apply for membership, I am confident that NATO allies will warmly welcome them — and we can quite quickly make the decision to have them as a member of the allies,” he added.Sweden has also signaled it’s open to reconsidering its non-alignment policy as the war in Ukraine prompts a sharp upswing in support for NATO membership.…
Read More