Finland's President Sauli Niinisto confirmed applying for membership in NATO

Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto confirmed applying for membership in NATO.

On Sunday, Finland’s President, Sauli Niinisto, said that his nation would seek to join NATO, marking a historic policy change in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow, which shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Finland, has said that Helsinki joining the 30-member transatlantic alliance would be a mistake and would hurt bilateral relations.

However, as popular support for membership has risen despite security concerns, Sweden is poised to follow suit.

The news comes after Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin expressed support for NATO membership on Thursday, paving the way for the nation to apply.

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“Today, we, the president and the foreign policy committee of the cabinet, have jointly agreed that Finland… will seek NATO membership,” Niinisto told reporters at the presidential palace in Helsinki.

On Saturday, Niinisto contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin to inform him of Finland’s intentions to join the alliance.

However, Putin has said that such a step would be detrimental to Russian-Finnish ties.

“I, nor Finland, are renowned for sneaking around and disappearing quietly behind a corner. It is preferable to state what has already been said, including the concerned individual, and this is what I intended to do. “He spoke about his Sunday phone conversation.

Following Ankara’s opposition to the Nordic nations joining NATO, Finland’s president stated his willingness to meet with his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan.

As a NATO member, Turkey has the power to deny its applications. However, Niinisto expressed his confusion by what he saw as a reversal in Turkey’s approach.

“What we need now is an obvious explanation. I’m ready to have a new conversation with President Erdogan about his addressed issues.”