Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20220304

A29
world news Diabierna 4 Maart 2022

Neutral Finland, Sweden warm to idea of NATO membership

(AP) — Through the
Cold War and the decades Apparently sensing a shift There are no set criteria for
since, nothing could per- among its Nordic neighbors, joining NATO, but aspiring
suade Finns and Swedes the Russian Foreign Minis- candidates must meet cer-
that they would be better try last week voiced concern tain political and other con-
off joining NATO — until about what it described as siderations. Many observers
now. efforts by the United States believe Finland and Sweden
and some of its allies to would qualify for fast-track
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “drag” Finland and Sweden entry into NATO without
has profoundly changed Eu- into NATO and warned that lengthy negotiations within
rope’s security outlook, in- Moscow would be forced to months.
cluding for Nordic neutrals take retaliatory measures if
Finland and Sweden, where they joined the alliance. Though not members, Fin-
support for joining NATO land and Sweden closely co-
has surged to record levels. The governments of Swe- operate with NATO, allow-
den and Finland retorted that ing, among other things, the
A poll commissioned by they won’t let Moscow dic- 1995 and deepening coopera- time that those in favor ex- alliance’s troops to exercise
Finnish broadcaster YLE this tate their security policy. tion with NATO. However, ceeded those against. on their soil. Helsinki and
week showed that, for the a majority of people in both Stockholm have also sub-
first time, more than 50% Finland has a conflict-ridden countries remained firmly The Nordic duo, important stantially intensified their bi-
of Finns support joining the history with Russia, with against full membership in partners for NATO in the lateral defense cooperation in
Western military alliance. In which it shares a 1,340-ki- the alliance — until now. Baltic Sea area where Russia the past years, and both have
neighboring Sweden, a simi- lometer (830-mile) border. has substantially increased secured close military coop-
lar poll showed those in favor Finns have taken part in doz- The YLE poll showed 53% its military maneuvers in eration with the U.S., Brit-
of NATO membership out- ens of wars against their east- were in favor of Finland join- the past decade, has strongly ain and neighboring NATO
number those against. ern neighbor, for centuries ing NATO, with only 28% stressed that it is up to them member Norway.
as part of the Swedish King- against. The poll had an er- alone to decide whether to
Neither country is going to dom, and as an independent ror margin of 2.5 percentage join the military alliance. Niinisto’s office said Thurs-
join the alliance overnight. nation including two fought points and included 1,382 re- day that he would meet U.S.
Support for NATO mem- with the Soviet Union from spondents interviewed Feb. In his New Year’s speech, President Joe Biden at the
bership rises and falls, and 1939-40 and 1941-44. 23 to 25. Russia’s invasion Finnish President Sauli Ni- White House on Friday “to
there’s no clear majority for began on Feb. 24. inisto pointedly said that discuss Russia’s attack on
joining in their parliaments. In the postwar period, how- “Finland’s room to maneu- Ukraine, the effects of the
ever, Finland pursued prag- While noting that it’s not ver and freedom of choice war on the European security
But the signs of change since matic political and economic possible to draw conclusions also include the possibility of order, and bilateral coopera-
Russia began its invasion last ties with Moscow, remaining from a single poll, Pesu said military alignment and of ap- tion.”
week are unmistakable. militarily nonaligned and a no similar shift in public plying for NATO member-
neutral buffer between East opinion occurred after Rus- ship, should we ourselves so The Finnish head of state is
The attack on Ukraine and West. sia’s 2008 war with Georgia decide.” one of the few Western lead-
prompted both Finland and and the 2014 annexation of ers who has kept a regular
Sweden to break with their Sweden has avoided mili- the Crimean Peninsula, “so NATO Secretary-General dialogue with Russian Presi-
policy of not providing arms tary alliances for more than this is an exception.” Jens Stoltenberg noted last dent Vladimir Putin ever
to countries at war by send- 200 years, choosing a path of week that for Helsinki and since Niinisto took office in
ing assault rifles and anti-tank peace after centuries of war- In Sweden, a late February Stockholm “this is a question 2012. Niinisto has a seem-
weapons to Kyiv. For Sweden, fare with its neighbors. poll commissioned by public of self-determination and ingly good rapport also with
it’s the first time it’s offering broadcaster SVT found 41% the sovereign right to choose Biden and two leaders have
military aid since 1939, when Both countries put an end to of Swedes supported NATO your own path and then po- maintained close contact
it assisted Finland against the traditional neutrality by join- membership and 35% op- tentially in the future, also to throughout the Ukraine cri-
Soviet Union. ing the European Union in posed it, marking the first apply for NATO.” sis.

UN refugee agency: 1 million flee Ukraine in under a week

(AP) — The U.N. refugee to the desperation of Ukrai- longtime staffers accustomed said they’d never seen any-
agency said Thursday that In an email, UNHCR nians as artillery fire, explod- to dealing with refugee crises thing like this exodus.
1 million people have now spokeswoman Joung-ah ing mortar shells and gunfire
fled Ukraine since Rus- Ghedini-Williams wrote, echoed across the country,
sia’s invasion less than a “Our data indicates we passed and the growing concerns
week ago, an exodus with- the 1M mark” as of midnight across the U.N. system
out precedent in this cen- in central Europe, based on at agencies like the World
tury for its speed. counts collected by national Health Organization and the
authorities. U.N. Office for the Coordi-
The tally from the U.N. nation of Humanitarian Af-
High Commissioner for U.N. High Commissioner fairs — which launched an
Refugees amounts to more Filippo Grandi said in a state- appeal for funds with UN-
than 2% of Ukraine’s popu- ment: “I have worked in ref- HCR on Tuesday.
lation — which the World ugee emergencies for almost
Bank counted at 44 million 40 years, and rarely have I The day-by-day figures
at the end of 2020 — on the seen an exodus as rapid as pointed to the dizzying speed
move across borders in just this one.” of the evacuation: After more
seven days. The agency cau- than 82,000 people left on the
tions that the outflows are On Twitter, Grandi appealed first day of the Russian inva-
far from finished: It has pre- for the “guns to fall silent” in sion on Feb. 24, each day af-
dicted that as many as 4 mil- Ukraine so humanitarian aid ter that tallied at least 117,000
lion people could eventually can reach millions more still new refugees, hitting a peak
leave Ukraine, and even that inside the country. of nearly 200,000 on Tues-
projection could be revised day alone, based on the lat-
upward. Grandi’s comments testified est UNHCR count. Some