Finland will decide in the coming weeks whether to apply to join the 30-member NATO alliance , Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in Stockholm on Wednesday.
Until now, Finland and neighboring Sweden have avoided joining NATO , the US-led alliance founded in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced an urgent rethink.
“There are different perspectives to apply (for) NATO membership or not to apply and we have to analyze them very carefully,” Marin told reporters at a joint news conference in Stockholm with his Swedish counterpart.
“But I think our process will be quite fast, it will be done in weeks,” said Marin, whose country shares a long border with Russia to the east.
The Finnish government will publish an update on its foreign and security policy in an information document on Wednesday.
Sweden is also reviewing its security policy and conclusions are expected by the end of May.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said it was important to carry out a thorough analysis of whether Sweden would also apply for NATO membership .
“Of course, being a NATO member has its pros and cons, as do other security options,” he said.
“As a member of NATO , you have the security of Article 5…” he said, referring to the alliance’s commitment to treat an attack on one member as an attack on all. “You also have another responsibility towards other countries.”