Sweden To Join

From DW:

“Sweden will apply for NATO membership, Finnish parliament vote pending”

(Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, right, and the Moderate Party's leader Ulf Kristersson give a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday, May 16, 2022.)

Sweden's government has decided to reverse decades of security policy and formally join NATO. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced the step. Finland's parliament votes on the same plan later. Sweden's government on Monday announced that it would formally apply for NATO membership. The EU member, which remained neutral throughout the Cold War, has rapidly reappraised its position in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The government has decided to inform NATO that Sweden wants to become a member of the alliance. Sweden's NATO ambassador will shortly inform NATO," said Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

The landmark decision comes after Sweden's ruling Social Democrats broke a 73-year policy of "non-alignment" and said on Sunday that they would back NATO membership. "We are leaving one era and beginning another," Andersson said Monday following a parliamentary debate that showed large support for joining the alliance. Out of Sweden's eight parties, only two smaller left-leaning parties opposed the move. Andersson said she expects it "shouldn't take more than a year" for the alliance's 30 members to ratify Sweden's membership application.  Turkey has expressed reservations about Sweden and Finland joining the alliance, citing what it calls "terrorism" concerns in the Nordic countries, a reference to them often historically granting asylum to Kurds from Turkey. Sweden said Monday it would send diplomats to Ankara for talks.

What happens if a NATO member vetoes Finland, Sweden's membership bid? NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana told DW on Sunday that the alliance would do its best to make sure that Finland and Sweden will have an expedited application process. "They would add value to their security, to our security, and in general to the transatlantic community," he said. Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Sunday also announced a NATO membership proposal, which is expected to enjoy wide political support and be approved following a marathon parliamentary session.  "Our security environment has fundamentally changed," Marin told parliament. "The only country that threatens European security, and is now openly waging a war of aggression, is Russia."

What has the response been? European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter that Sweden and Finland's decision to join NATO "improves" Europe's security and "benefits our common security and defense capability." "The EU's contribution to NATO's deterrence is becoming increasingly invaluable," he said. The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said he fully supported Sweden's decision to join NATO. US Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, part of a group of US Senators visiting both Finland and Sweden as the two countries finalize their bids, said that he expected the US would approve Sweden's application "in more rapid fashion than past applications for NATO," with congressional approval likely by August. Russia has repeatedly warned Finland and Sweden of consequences if they apply to join NATO. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that while Finland and Sweden joining NATO posed "no direct threat" to Russia, the "expansion of military infrastructure to these territories will certainly provoke our response."

Finland on same path Sweden and Finland remained neutral throughout the Cold War but formed closer relations with NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Tytti Tuppurainen, the Finnish minister for European affairs, told DW on Monday that Finland would not "let Russia intimidate us."  "Russia cannot dictate our own national decisions," Tuppurainen said, adding that Finland's current cooperation with NATO was "already as close" as a country could be without actually being a member, and that the Kremlin's objections were "nothing new."  "We don't expect any military actions against us. It is perfectly safe here. It is peaceful and quiet at our border," she said. "So the intelligence tells that nothing like that is coming. But of course, all sorts of hybrid influencing is possible. We've already seen some interference in the electricity markets and also gas deliveries can be some kind of problem."

^ Putin has done something in his 22 year Dictatorship (especially the last 82 days) that NATO hasn’t been able to do in its 73 year history, Sweden hasn’t done in 222 years and Finland hasn’t done in 66 years: unite NATO and make Sweden and Finland give up their Neutrality to officially ask to join NATO.

Putin said he was starting the War in Ukraine: 1) to curb NATO’s influence and bring it back to its 1997 Member States, 2) Move Russia away from the early post-Soviet 1990s, 3) Remove Ukraine from existence and  4) Russify all Ukrainians.

Instead, in just 82 days Putin has 1) united NATO as never before and expanded the number of Member States by 2, 2) moved Russia away from the early post-Soviet 1990s to the much worse situation Russia was in in 1917, 3) has not removed Ukraine from existence and 4) has not Russified Ukrainians (in fact Kharkiv – the 2^nd largest Ukrainian City with 1.4 Million People and the largest Ukrainian City with 99% speaking Russian as their First Language  - fought for 80 days to repel Russia’s Air and Land Attack on them and now Russia has been forced to retreat from Kharkiv and back across the Russian Border.)

Good Job Putin! Keep up the Good Work!

The World now stands behind Ukraine and Ukrainian President Zelensky. ^

https://www.dw.com/en/sweden-will-apply-for-nato-membership-finnish-parliament-vote-pending/a-61814632