Finland, Sweden closer to joining Nato after Türkiye deal
- Nato ally Türkiye lifted its veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the Western military alliance
- The three nations agreed to protect each other’s security, ending a weeks-long drama that tested allied unity
Finland and Sweden took a major step on their way to Nato membership after Türkiye dropped its opposition to their bids, all but ensuring the military alliance’s expansion on Russia’s doorstep.
The move “sends a very clear message to President Putin that Nato’s door is open,” Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the start of an alliance summit in Madrid on Tuesday. “He wanted less Nato, now President Putin is getting more Nato on his borders. So what he gets is the opposite of what he actually demanded.”
Türkiye agreed to support inviting the two Nordic countries into the military alliance, after receiving pledges from Finland and Sweden addressing its security concerns, including restrictions on Kurdish groups that Türkiye considers terrorists, and avoiding arms embargoes.
“The talks were intense and tough, not in mood, but in terms of the subject matter, and after four hours, we reached an understanding,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said. “Türkiye becoming an ally now could impact the considerations” on arms export permits made on a case-by-case basis, he added.
Membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the two previously neutral countries would mark a significant shift in the European security landscape after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier met with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, Niinisto and Stoltenberg.
The membership process will still take many months, including ratification from Nato allies’ parliaments, before Finland and Sweden become members and can benefit from the alliance’s article 5 collective defence commitments.
Nato to boost rapid reaction force in biggest overhaul
Stoltenberg said he expected allies to sign the Nordic countries’ accession protocols “immediately” after the summit. All 30 alliance members need to sign off.
A senior US administration official said President Joe Biden’s goal was to help get the deal across the finish line. Biden told Erdogan Tuesday in a phone call that he should seize the moment and finalise negotiations for an agreement during the Madrid summit.
There were no US concessions to Türkiye to get the deal over the finish line and Türkiye never tied long-standing US requests like F-16 fighter jets to any agreement to allow Sweden and Finland to begin the process of joining the alliance, the official told reporters after it was announced.
The US has stressed that bringing Finland and Sweden into the fold could make the alliance more secure. Turkey’s block complicated the allies’ efforts to present a united front in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Throughout the negotiations, Finland and Sweden insisted they meet all Nato’s entry criteria.
Finland, which has 1,300km (800 miles) of border with Russia and a history of wars against its eastern neighbour, was driven into Nato’s fold by Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, and pulled neighbouring Sweden along.
01:00
Nato does not regard China as ‘adversary’ but worried over Russia ties
The attack shifted popular opinion overnight, with policymakers rapidly kicking off the process to join.
Both nations’ militaries are compatible with Nato and include a large number of artillery and tanks. Finland has held onto a conscription-based system, meaning about 900,000 citizens in a country of 5.5 million have had military training, and it’s able to deploy 280,000 of them in wartime. Sweden brought back military conscription from 2018.
Finland in December decided to buy 64 Lockheed Martin F-35A multi-role fighter jets to replace its ageing F/A-18 Hornets in a €10 billion (US$10.5 billion) procurement, and Sweden’s Saab AB makes a plethora of defence systems, including JAS Gripen warplanes and submarines.
