Finland's parliament starts debate on joining NATO

Finland’s parliament on Wednesday starts debating whether to seek NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The parliament session comes despite warnings by Russia of a nuclear buildup in the Baltic should Finland and Sweden join NATO.

“I think it will happen quite fast. Within weeks, not within months,” Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last week.

Finland’s 200 members of parliament have received a government-commissioned “white paper” that assessed the implications of NATO membership.

The report does not make recommendations but stresses that without NATO membership Finland had no security guarantees. It also said the “deterrent effect” on Finland’s defence would be “considerably greater” inside the bloc.

Finland is an EU member. The country also shares a 1,300km border with Russia.

The Finnish government said it hoped to build a parliamentary consensus over the coming weeks. 

Finnish media have reported that half of the 200 MPs now support membership, with only 12 opposing it. 

Sweden is also discussing whether to submit a membership bid following the Russian invasion. A poll on Wednesday showed that 57% of Swedes now favoured NATO membership.

Finland and Sweden alongside Ireland, Austria and Malta are the only EU member states with a status of neutrality.