Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö on Saturday reiterated his country’s right to join Nato if it wants to, in a dismissal of Russian demands for no further expansion of the Western military alliance near its borders.
Summary
- Last month Russian President Vladimir Putin sought guarantees that Finland would not join Nato.
- In a statement released by the Kremlin, President Putin said Russian wants “international legal security guarantees” ruling out “Nato’s further movement eastward”.
- Opinion polls suggest that 40 per cent of Finns oppose joining Nato, with 26 per cent in favour.
- “I made it clear to President Putin that if he makes any more moves into Ukraine we will have severe sanctions,” Mr Biden said Friday.
- Russia has deployed 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, using the prospect of an invasion to pressure Nato to give guarantees it will not expand.