Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö had a phone call with President of Russia Vladimir Putin on Saturday and told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Finland plans to apply for NATO membership in the next few days, the office of the President of Finland said in a press statement.
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 read. President Niinistö announced that Finland decides to seek NATO membership in the next few days.
President Niinistö noted that he had told President Putin already in their first meeting in 2012 that every independent nation maximizes its security, according to the statement.
“By joining NATO Finland strengthens its own security and assumes its responsibility. It is not away from anyone else. Also in the future, Finland wants to take care of the practical questions arising from being a neighbour of Russia in a correct and professional manner,” said in the statement.
“The conversation was direct and straight-forward and it was conducted without aggravations. Avoiding tensions was considered important”, President Niinistö says.
According to the statement, President Niinistö repeated his deep concern over the human suffering caused by the war Russia wages in Ukraine. President Niinistö stressed the imperative of peace. He also conveyed the messages on securing the evacuation of civilians delivered earlier in the same week by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The phone call was initiated by Finland, the president’s office said.
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