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Bloomberg
As Sweden and Finland deliberate joining Nato, the two countries are seeking more clarity on how to bridge the gap between filing their applications and when the military alliance’s security guarantees would kick in with full membership.
While there is little sign that the two Nordic nations would struggle to secure acceptance, Russia has repeatedly warned both against joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) and so they are concerned about potential aggression from Moscow if they formally signal their alignment with the western bloc.
Public backing for joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization underwent a historic shift in both nations after
Russia invaded Ukraine, and in Finland, almost half of all lawmakers now openly support an application.
As policy makers have gone on a diplomatic overdrive to remove any doubts about being welcomed by all members, they seek more certainty about near-term guarantees that they wouldn’t be left alone against Russia. Nato’s Article 5 mutual defense clause only applies to members.
“Finland’s concern over the gray zone between the membership application and full membership†is “quite well understood among Nato countries,†Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said.
It could take between four months and a year for the 30 Nato members to ratify their applications, Haavisto said, signaling he’d been given indication countries would be willing to hurry the process.
Asked about their possible memberships, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier that he expected all
30 allies would welcome them if they decided to apply. He said Nato “will find ways to also address the concerns†about the interim period.
Finland and Sweden already have some degree of collective security commitments through their membership of the European Union. Article 42.7 of the EU treaty states that if a member is the victim of armed aggression, other members have the obligation to aid them, but this doesn’t bind the US in the way that their membership in Nato would.
Nato officials say they would welcome Finnish and Swedish membership and point to long and deep partnerships with the countries, including through regular joint military exercises with their armed forces.