Russia’s invasion of Ukraine tipped popular opinion in Finland to support joining the NATO defense alliance, despite threats over such plans from its eastern neighbor.
In a first for the Nordic country, a poll by public broadcaster YLE showed 53% of Finns now back membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with 28% opposed and 19% undecided. Fewer than one third were in favor of joining in an MTV poll in January.
The change adds pressure on Finnish authorities that have reiterated that the European Union member keeps its "option” to join the defense bloc in the face of demands from Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO should guarantee it won’t expand eastward.