Finns and Swedes now in favor of joining NATO

Vladimir Putin wants Finland and Sweden, which are not members of NATO, to commit never to join it.

© Yves Herman/REUTERS

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While Vladimir Putin wants Finland and Sweden, which are not members of NATO, to commit never to join it, the more the war in Ukraine advances and the more the populations of these two countries become favorable to possible membership.

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This is another consequence of the Russian war in Ukraine.

The Swedes and the Finns, who traditionally were opposed to joining NATO, are now mostly in favour, reports our correspondent in Stockholm,

.

During the month of February, the number of Swedes in favor of NATO membership jumped by nine points to reach a record rate of 51%, according to this poll by the Demoskop institute published by the Aftonbladet newspaper.

Those who would oppose it are only 27%.

A drop of ten points.

The same groundswell is felt among the Finns, who share a border of more than 1,300 kilometers with Russia.

They are now 53% wanting to join the Atlantic Alliance.

An approval rate that has never been so high.

Although both NATO partners since the mid-1990s, the two countries are officially non-aligned and intend to remain so.

But the pressure on their leaders, who have already decided to send arms to Ukraine, could still increase over the Russian advance.

A “ 

huge decision

 ”

Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told reporters that a change in the country's defense doctrine would be a " 

 ".

"

," he said.

Sweden is investing heavily in its own military forces and developing cooperation with other countries, the minister noted.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, who is due to meet US President Joe Biden on Friday, called on his compatriots to " 

 " regarding the question of NATO membership.

Experts expect Finland to act in consultation with Sweden on the issue.

Such a membership would be a matter of great irritation for Moscow, in an explosive context between the West and Vladimir Putin's Russia.

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it " 

".

A warning already heard in recent years, underlined Helsinki, which refused to see a threat of invasion as in Ukraine.

Moscow has made the pursuit of NATO enlargement to the east a

, in a case where Russia claims to have been betrayed since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The two Nordic countries have already broken one of the main taboos of their security policy, namely not to export arms or military equipment to countries at war.

In addition to defensive equipment (helmets, bulletproof vests, rations, etc.), Sweden will thus deliver some 5,000 anti-tank rocket launchers to Ukraine.

Unheard of since the Winter War in 1939, when Stockholm lent assistance to its Finnish neighbor then invaded by the USSR.

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