Marin says it is "in the interest of NATO" for Finland and Sweden to join simultaneously

Recognizes as "a big mistake" not to react "more firmly" to the annexation of Crimea by Russia

MADRID, 18 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, has defended this Saturday that "it is in the interest of NATO" that Helsinki and Stockholm join the Alliance simultaneously, given the reluctance of Turkey and Hungary to ratify their accession.

"We want to join together with Sweden, at the same time," said Marin, who indicated that Finland has sent a "very clear" message to Turkey and Hungary in this regard.

"We cannot influence how countries ratify it, but our message is that we prefer and want to join together," he said, before stressing that "joining NATO is an act of peace by Finland."

Thus, he stated that "when the war broke out (in Ukraine) it was obvious that Finland would join NATO." "The most important thing for the Finnish people is that we are independent, we have security, we have a sovereign country and we can make our own decisions," she argued.

"When Russia, our neighbor, attacked another neighbor, it was obvious that Finland would join NATO, because that is the line that Russia will not cross," the Finnish prime minister said.

In this sense, he has affirmed that "the war in Ukraine is not only a matter for Europe, but rather a matter for the whole world, because it is a war of values." "Authoritarian countries are raising their heads against the rules-based international order, which is a problem for everyone," she warned.

"We will only see decades of this type of behavior if Ukraine does not win the war and we do not stand up for our values," Marin said, describing it as "a big mistake" not to react "more firmly" to the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014.

"I think Russia thought it would be the same as in Crimea. Now we have to learn lessons from the current situation. We cannot be naive," Marin said during an event with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

In this way, Marin has stressed that "he also wants a beautiful and safe world in which money does not have to be invested in military forces, but that world is not a reality."

"The only way to achieve peace is to guarantee that Europe and the democratic countries are strong, that we invest in our defensive capabilities and that we have the capacity and presence before these authoritarian countries," he argued.

Lastly, the Finnish Prime Minister pointed out that "victory is for the Ukrainians to decide", although she has defended that Russia "should withdraw" from the country. Despite this, she has stressed that the "only job" of the EU is to give Kiev "all the help it needs."