On Tuesday, Sweden signed a formal request to join NATO, and later this week,Finland is expected to join the alliance.
On May 17, 2022, President Sauli Niinisto will deliver a statement in the parliament building in Sweden. The photo was taken by Anders WiskUND of theTT News Agency.
One day after Sweden announced it would join the alliance, the Swedish Foreign Minister signed the country's application to join NATO.
It feels like we have made the best decision for Sweden, according to the Associated Press.
The parliament endorsed the support of the president and prime minister for joining NATO.
While Parliament wasn't required to vote, the president and prime minister said it was important for lawmakers to weigh in, and they are expected to sign their own request to join the alliance in the coming days.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly said that all NATO members would welcome the two countries with open arms.
Sauli Niinisto spoke to the parliament of Sweden on Tuesday and said that they could reach an agreement with Turkey.
On Monday, Sweden and Finland joined the alliance. He said last week that Turkey doesn't hold positive views because of support for Kurdish militant groups by Sweden and Finland. Turkey has been fighting against armed Kurdish groups for decades, while some Western allies have offered continued support to the Kurds. All NATO countries have to approve new members, and if Turkey continues to oppose them, they will be unable to join the alliance.
Russian President Putin told Niinisto during a phone call on Saturday that joining the alliance would be wrong. Russia has warned that it may deploy nuclear weapons to the Baltics if NATO is formed. Russia cut off electricity to Finns over the weekend due to issues with payments, though some energy leaders questioned the reason for the cut off.
Niinisto said in his address to the Swedish parliament that the peace was broken on February 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Our relationship with Russia has changed since we declared independence from the country in 1917. Russia invaded and started a year-long war in 1939 that resulted in the ceding of a quarter of its territory to Russia.
According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, President Joe Biden will host Niinisto and the Swedish Prime Minister at the White House Thursday to discuss their NATO applications and European security.
Sweden officially announced their NATO bid after the war with Russia.
Putin dislikes NATO as Russia cuts off electricity.
Turkey doesn't want Sweden to join NATO, says the president.
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