AFP :
NATO countries are ready to provide military assistance to Ukraine to help it repel Russia’s invasion for as long as it is needed, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Sunday.
“We agree that we must not and will not let up in our national efforts, especially in terms of military support, for as long as Ukraine needs this support for the self-defence of its country,” Baerbock said at a NATO meeting in Berlin.
At an extraordinary meeting on Sunday, the leadership decided that the party would “contribute to a Swedish application for NATO membership”, the Social Democrats said in a statement, reversing their long-standing line.
The party has long been opposed to NATO membership, but has changed stance over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war.
“At its meeting today, 15 May 2022, the party board of the Social Democrats has decided that the party will work for Sweden to apply for membership of NATO,” said the statement.
“The Social Democrats will thus work for Sweden, if the application is approved by NATO, to declare unilateral reservations against the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish territory.”
Earlier on Sunday Finland’s president and prime minister announced that the Nordic country intends apply for NATO membership, in another historic policy shift from the country’s traditional neutrality.
Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership of the NATO military alliance, in a historic policy shift prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow, which shares a 1,300 km (800 mile) border with Finland, has said it would be a mistake for Helsinki to join the transatlantic alliance and that it would harm bilateral ties.
Sweden is also expected to follow suit as public support for membership has grown amid security concerns.
Sunday’s announcement comes after Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday they both favoured NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) membership, giving a green light for the country to apply.
“Today, we, the president and the government’s foreign policy committee, have together decided that Finland … will apply for
NATO membership,” Niinisto told reporters in the presidential palace in Helsinki.
Niinisto called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to tell him of Finland’s plans to join the alliance. Putin said such a move would hurt Russian-Finnish relations.
“I, or Finland, are not known to sneak around and quietly disappear behind a corner. It is better to say it straight what already has been said, also to the concerned party and that is what I wanted to do,” he said about his call on Sunday.
