Finnish Prime Minister Sana Marin has said that his country’s intention to join NATO does not include its obligation to host NATO military bases or nuclear weapons. No idea is currently under discussion, he told an Italian newspaper during a working visit to Rome on Wednesday.
The Marines were asked by the daily Corriere della Sera whether Finland would deny establishing a permanent NATO base or nuclear weapons on its soil after joining NATO. Both Finland and Sweden applied for membership this week.
The ruling Swedish Democratic Party made it clear last week that it would oppose NATO membership if asked to deploy foreign nuclear weapons or military bases. Finland, as observed by the Italian press, did not make similar clear promises and asked the Marines to comment.
“No one will impose nuclear weapons or bases on us if we don’t want to.” He said the decision would depend on Finland in both cases.
“We have a law in Finland that prohibits the installation of nuclear weapons on our territory. So, I think the problem is not on the table. “ He added. “Finland has no interest in opening nuclear weapons or bases.”
The Finnish prime minister said his nation hoped to be part of the alliance to ensure that war would not break out on Finnish soil and that Russia would be identified as a “big aggressive neighbor”. He added that Finland believes that Russia will not retaliate against it for joining the US-led bloc.
“Our president [Sauli] Ninistো has discussed the matter with the President [Vladimir] Putin and his response were “surprisingly calm.” He said. “So we hope that no action will be taken by Russia. But if anything, we are ready to deal with a variety of situations, including cyber or hybrid attacks.
Moscow has said it will make the necessary preparations for self-defense from NATO with the inclusion of two new members.
Finland has applied to join NATO, citing Russia’s attack on Ukraine, breaking its tradition of neutrality. Moscow says it has compromised its long-standing position as a mediator. In an interview published Thursday, the Marines said he hoped it would not happen.
“We want to be an honest broker so that the dialogue can continue. In fact, we see the application for NATO membership as a work of peace, not war. He said.
Russia invaded the neighboring country in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the first Minsk agreement, signed in 2014, and the final recognition of Moscow’s Donetsk and Lugansk’s Donbas republics. The German- and French-brokerage protocols were designed to give special status to isolated territories within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine formally declare itself a neutral state that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kyiv has insisted that the Russian invasion was completely unpopular and has denied claims that it is planning to forcibly retake the two republics.
