Any decision to seek Nato membership would have to be made "thoroughly but quickly," essentially this spring - said Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin in her speech to Social Democratic Party leadership, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.
Marin said, it was time for Finland to seriously reconsider its stance on military allegiance. Russia's military aggression in Ukraine has forced Finland to reexamine its security policy, according to Marin, who said, "Russia is not the neighbour we thought it was."
Any decision to seek Nato membership would have to be made "thoroughly but quickly," essentially this spring, the PM said in her speech. She said Finland would face consequences both if it chose to seek accession to the alliance or opted to stay out of it.
The premier said she would reveal her personal stance on Nato as discussions on membership unfold in the coming weeks.
On 1 April, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö discussed with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg the principles and procedures for admitting new members to the Alliance. Earlier, Niinistö said that Finland considers joining NATO as an option to strengthen its defense in the event of a risk of escalation in Europe.