TOKYO, May 6. /TASS/. A decision on Finland’s joining NATO is expected to be taken in the immediate future, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in an interview with Japan’s Nikkei business daily, which was published on Friday.
"I think the decision on joining NATO will be made in the near future," she said ahead of her visit to Japan.
According to the Finnish prime minister, the country "cannot any longer continue relations with Russia as it used to" amid the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. The situation in Ukraine, in her words, "has completely changed the security situation for Finland."
She also said she is convinced that China could play a major role in settling the situation in Ukraine and called on Beijing to join the anti-Russian sanctions.
Discussions on Finland’s and Sweden’s possible accession to NATO intensified in early April. The alliance’s key members have supported the idea. Most of Finland’s parliament members have already spoken out in favor of joining the bloc. A possible decision on Finland's application will be taken jointly by the president and the government. Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she would notify about the matter before her Social Democratic Party makes a decision at a meeting on May 14.
Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Workers' Party said earlier that its decision regarding the country's membership in NATO will be made on May 12. After that, party’s board is to issue a corresponding resolution. In case of a positive decision, an application for membership will be sent to NATO, since other parties - the Moderates, the Christian Democrats, the Liberals and the Center Party - have already supported such a move. Most of the parties in parliament have objected against organizing a national referendum on the issue.
In an interview with Spain’s ABC daily, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that in case of joining NATO Finland and Sweden will be a space for the alliance’s confrontation with Russia.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.