Finland’s Europe minister said it was “highly likely” to join NATO

Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, is very likely to join NATO despite threats by the Russian government to deploy nuclear weapons, Finnish European Affairs Minister Titi Toborainin. He said in an interview with Sky News on Friday.

why does it matter: The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in galvanized sweden and finlandtwo historically neutral states, to Join the defense alliance. Russia threatens to bolster its defenses In the Baltic Sea, including the deployment of nuclear weapons in the region, in retaliation.

what do you say: ““It seems that the people of Finland have made up their mind,” Toborainen told Sky News, noting that opinion polls show overwhelming support for joining NATO.

• “We need to discuss this issue at length in our parliament,” she said. “At this point, I would say that is very likely, but no decision has yet been made.”
• “The brutal war in Ukraine is a wake-up call for all of us,” she added. “It’s not just for us Finns; it’s about the entire security frontier in Europe.”

what do you want to watch: The Finnish government is expected to report to Parliament on the changing security environment by the end of this month, where it will begin a discussion and eventually recommend on applying for NATO membership, Zack Basso writes in Axios.

• Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Staub told Axios that the government may decide to apply to NATO as soon as possible in May.