Finland, Sweden need to move now on NATO while Putin is preoccupied with Ukraine, former secretary general says
2022-05-08 10:09:37 source：CNBC
May 7, 2022
SALZBURG, Austria — Finland and Sweden need to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) now while Russia’s Putin is focused on Ukraine, the alliance’s former chief told CNBC.
The two Nordic countries have been considering joining NATO in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Becoming NATO members would represent a sharp U-turn in their policies towards the Kremlin after years of taking a neutral approach. Finland and Sweden are due to announce their plans in the coming days.
“As far as Finland and Sweden are concerned, I think there’s a window of opportunity for [the] two countries to join, exactly now because Putin is preoccupied elsewhere. He can’t do anything about it,” Anders Rasmussen, former NATO secretary general, told CNBC Saturday.
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