Finland’s President Tells Putin They Will Apply to Join NATO; Putin Calls It a Mistake

Finland’s President Tells Putin They Will Apply to Join NATO; Putin Calls It a Mistake
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on May 9, 2022. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters
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HELSINKI—Russian President Vladimir Putin warned his Finnish counterpart Saturday relations between the two neighbors could be “negatively affected” if Finland follows through with plans to apply for NATO membership.

The Kremlin’s press service said in a statement that Putin told Sauli Niinisto that Finland’s abandonment “of its traditional policy of military neutrality would be an error since there are no threats to Finland’s security.”