Finnish President Sauli Niinisto phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to say the Nordic country plans to seek NATO membership in the near future and downplayed concerns Turkey may block Finland and its Nordic neighbor Sweden from joining the military alliance.
The conversation with Putin “was direct and straight-forward and it was conducted without aggravations,” Niinisto said in a statement. The move would be a “mistake because there are no threats to Finland’s security,” Putin told his Finnish counterpart, according to a statement from the Kremlin, adding that it could harm relations between the countries.
A decision by Finland and Sweden on applying for NATO entry may come as early as Sunday, with the Social Democrats, the biggest party in parliament in Helsinki, giving it a green light on Saturday. The two nations have pushed forward with plans to join the alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finland has the longest land border with Russia of any European Union member.
