Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron wished Finland and Sweden to join NATO as soon as possible.
Macron was hosting Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Paris on Tuesday.
“We will discuss Sweden’s accession to NATO, which I wish to take place as soon as possible, just as Finland’s accession to the alliance. In this sense, you can count on France’s solidarity and support,” Macron said before the talks with his Swedish counterpart.
On May 18, 2022, Finland and Sweden, amid Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, submitted applications to the NATO Secretary General to join the alliance. As of now, the applications of Sweden and Finland have not been ratified by two countries out of 30 – Hungary and Turkey.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, aims to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine, and to completely liberate Donbas.
