Zelenskyy talks to Finland President, praises Helsinki's desire for NATO membership

As Finland and Sweden are seeking membership in NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Finland's willingness to apply for NATO membership while discussing defence cooperation and Ukraine's EU membership with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto.

As per the reports of Ukrinform, Zelenskyy stated that he had a conversation with Finland's President, Sauli Niinisto over phone and that he praised Finland for its willingness to join NATO. He further stated that they also addressed Ukraine's European integration and defence cooperation with Finland.

On Thursday, Niinisto stated that in his conversation with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, he reaffirmed Finland's unwavering support for Ukraine. He further stated that he also briefed Zelenskyy about Finland's progress toward NATO membership and that the Ukrainian President expressed his full support.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin are said to have expressed strong support for the country's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance in a joint statement. Following the start of full-scale Russian action against Ukraine, the majority of Finns voted for the first time in support of joining NATO.

In a joint statement, Finish President Niinisto and PM Marin claimed that if Finland joined NATO, it would strengthen the overall defence alliance and that Finland must apply to join NATO as soon as possible. They also stated that they hope that the remaining national actions necessary to make this decision are taken quickly in the coming days. The announcement came one day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson travelled to Finland and Sweden to sign a military cooperation deal.

Kremlin has warned Finland about its willingness to join NATO

However, the Kremlin has warned Finland about its willingness to join NATO claiming that Finland's decision to join NATO will jeopardise European stability and security. The land boundary between Finland and Russia is 1,340 kilometres. Russia stated that if Sweden and Finland chose to join NATO, there will be military and political implications.

On Wednesday, the United Kingdom committed to supporting Sweden and Finland if they were attacked. During a joint press conference in Helsinki with Johnson and Niinisto, the Finnish president declared that if his country joins NATO, Moscow will only have itself to blame, stating that this was brought on by Russia, according to media reports.

Image: AP