Sweden and Finland joining NATO will strengthen the defence capabilities of the Northern region and enable joint defence planning within the alliance. Sweden's Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist who was previously known to be skeptical about NATO membership said this on the Swedish radio as cited by Reuters.
"If Sweden and Finland join NATO we use each other's strong sides and advantages and fully complement each other as well as to conduct operational planning," – Hultqvist said.
In his opinion, joining NATO will make Sweden and Finland stronger.
Sweden already has defence agreements with its northern neighbors.
Sweden will decide on 15 May whether it joins NATO which it has been refusing for decades.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused rethinking of security policy in Sweden and Finland. President of Finland Sauli Niinistö is expected to declare his support for the application this week.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started, non-aligned Sweden and Finland expressed their readiness to join NATO. The U.S. authorities say that these countries can do that this very summer.
On 19 May, the NATO Military Committee will take place in Brussels with the participation of the heads of general staff of Ukraine, Finland, and Sweden.
Sweden neighbors russia via the Baltic sea, and Finland has a common 1271,8 km long land border and a 54 km long sea border with it.
After Finland and Sweden's statements, russia started threatening the countries with raising prices and taxes, escalating the tension along the borders, Iskander missiles, and warships with nuclear weapons "literally at arm's length from their own houses".