Finnish President Sauli Niinisto believes that his country and Sweden will take part in the July NATO summit in Vilnius as full members of the Alliance. He also emphasized the importance of this milestone, noting that if the country does not become a member of NATO before the summer, then the entire process of joining the Alliance will be in even greater doubt.. It is reported by Yle.

“If not before Vilnius, then why should it happen after,” Niiniste said.

He also recalled that last spring, Finland and Sweden heard many encouraging statements from the Alliance about the smooth progress of the application for membership, but this did not happen.. In his opinion, the point is not only that Hungary and Turkey are delaying.

“Yes, I see that this has already become a problem for NATO. It is obvious that the countries of the Alliance are also surprised,” the President said..

According to Niinisto, the 28 countries of the Alliance that have already ratified the applications have clearly indicated their position on Turkey.. The President of Finland believes that the decision will ultimately be made by Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“In any case, I don’t think he will be subjected to public pressure. But if something opens up in the bilateral talks between the US and Turkey, perhaps that will change the situation,” Niinisto said..

He added that Finland should act " According to him, the goal is for both countries to join the Alliance as quickly as possible..

Niinisto also commented on the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. In his assessment, he emphasized that he relies on the opinions of experts. According to Niinisto, it seems that the Russian Federation, to a certain extent, took the initiative again, making a new attack attempt..

The President of Finland said he does not want to predict the outcome of the war, except that the only desired outcome is a just peace that Ukraine can accept..

“I speak about peace, realizing that now there are no conditions for peace. However, I dare to utter the word " It's a huge black cloud,” Niinisto said..

He also warned that a peace agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation alone would not be enough to convincingly eliminate the deep split that had formed between the parties..

In his opinion, "

Niinisto also reflected on the struggle between two worldviews. According to him, dividing the world into two camps has never done any good.. Niinisto believes that in this situation, much will depend on the development of relations between the United States and China in the future..

Niinisto's second and final term expires in just one year. He predicts his successor will have to pay more attention to Ukraine.

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Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO last year after they were concerned about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.. Only two of the Alliance's 30 countries, Hungary and Turkey, have yet to ratify their applications.. Ratification by Hungary is regarded as a formality and is expected soon.

Turkey has raised significant objections to the countries joining the Alliance, citing their support for Kurdish groups, which Ankara sees as a terrorist threat..

Earlier it was reported that Ankara suspended negotiations after protests in Stockholm, during which activists burned the Koran..

Recently, Erdogan said that Turkey will not approve Sweden's application to join NATO, while at the same time, the attitude towards Finland on this issue is positive..