“This is a historic day. We are living in a new era. We will be provided with security, and will in turn provide it to others,” said President Sauli Niinistö and premier Sanna Marin said. Niinistö also concluded that security isn’t a zero-sum game, while stressing the importance of collaboration between Finland and neighbouring Sweden.
“It has long been said in Sweden that Finland’s issues are our issues, and one can equally say that theirs are ours,” said Niinistö.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin thanked Niinistö for their excellent collaboration on the matter, saying that the matter is now in the hands of the parliament. Parliament will proceed to approve the application on Monday - while this step is a formality and their approval is not required, Niinistö and the government wants all political actors to be offered a say and involvement with the issue.
Speaking to Finish news outlet Yle, Niinistö said that Finland had long been moving towards Nato membership, though there were challenges along the way. Niinistö noted that “we all understood that we had to do something,” in face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and that it was a decision that brought on strong emotions.
Niinistö spoke to Putin on Saturday, and said of the call that it was “quite a calm conversation, with explanations. I told him that we will join Nato, and he told me that he viewed it as a mistake.”
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