Pekka Haavisto, Finland's foreign minister, said Russia's nuclear threats helped to push his nation to seek NATO membership.
He made his comments during an interview on Times Radio.
"I think the decision [to seek membership] was made after Russia invaded Ukraine," he said. "We saw what could happen now in our neighborhood."
And he noted Finland shares a border with Russia.
"It's a peaceful border, but of course we have to prepare for all kinds of scenarios," he said. "When you have a war in Europe … wars can always escalate and there could be incidents. The war is happening close to us.
"Even the loose talk about nuclear weapons, we have to take that seriously. Well, I have to say that when Russia decides to spread its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, I think it's not only showing the force, but being prepared for this kind of worst-case scenario.
"We have to be prepared ourselves …"
Haavisto traveled to Brussels carrying papers in a briefcase that when handed over to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will seal Finland's entry into NATO, The Associated Press reported.
"Of course, this is a historic moment, because we have been militarily nonaligned even as a member of the European Union," he said. "We have, of course, followed the European Union's security policy. This is now about our ascension to NATO."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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