Finland will join NATO to 'strengthen its security', President Niinistö tells Putin
Finland's President Sauli Niinistö has formally notified Vladimir Putin of the country's application to join NATO, in a phone call on Saturday.
The militarily non-aligned Nordic country that shares a long border and history with Russia “will decide to apply for NATO membership in the coming days”, said a statement from the president's office.
"President Niinistö told President Putin how fundamentally the Russian demands in late 2021 aiming at preventing countries from joining NATO and Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have altered the security environment of Finland," the statement explained.
“The conversation was direct and straight-forward and it was conducted without aggravations. Avoiding tensions was considered important”, President Niinistö said.
Niinistö has been Finland’s president since 2012 and is one of few Western leaders who has held regular dialogue with Putin over the past ten years.
He said he had told the Russian leader that Finland was seeking to strengthen its security by joining NATO, and still wanted to engage with Moscow practically and professionally.
The phone call was conducted on Finland's initiative, Niinistö's office said. The statement didn't disclose any comments from Putin or the Kremlin on the conversation.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, the longest by any European Union member. Applying to join NATO is a historic development: Finland adopted neutrality after being defeated by the Soviet Union in World War II.
Niinistö and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin jointly endorsed Finland’s NATO bid on Thursday and recommended that the country “must apply for NATO membership without delay”.
"NATO membership would strengthen Finland's security. As a member of
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