Sweden and Finland apply to join NATO

Sweden and Finland have officially applied for NATO membership. Ambassadors from both countries handed over the relevant documents to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday in Brussels.

In view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Sweden and Finland have now officially applied to join NATO. Security concerns raised in the countries in the wake of Russia’s aggression are behind Sweden and Finland’s desire to join the military alliance. Until then, both states had resolutely pursued a policy of military non-alignment.

The NATO Council will now deal with the applications for membership. It is made up of representatives of the 30 alliance states, who have to make a consensus decision on how to proceed.

Turkey threatens veto

The historical developments are overshadowed by the veto threats from NATO member Turkey. The latter had recently made it clear several times that it would only agree to the accession of Finland and Sweden in exchange for concessions.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan explains his stance with the two countries’ alleged support for the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK and the Kurdish militia YPG in Syria. At the same time, criticism has been leveled at the fact that NATO countries have restricted the delivery of armaments because of Turkey’s actions against these groups.

Until recently, it was unclear how Turkey could be prevented from vetoing Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership. According to diplomats, in addition to statements by the two northerners on the fight against terrorism, arms deals could also play a role. The government in Ankara, for example, wants to buy F-16 fighter jets in the USA – but a possible deal was recently politically controversial in Washington.