Finland, Sweden expected to officially apply to join NATO this month.

For decades, even during the peak of the Cold War, Finland has maintained a careful course of neutrality, while NATO and Russia tried to dominate Europe.

But the situation has changed in the timeline of within a few months. Finnish government representatives told the Voice of America they expect to officially apply to join NATO within the next two weeks.

It's obvious that everything has changed since Russia started the war in Ukraine. We have to make decisions based on our national interest. What is the best way to ensure the safety of Finnish and Finland? We are part of the West and NATO membership is a kind of finalising our Western integration”, says Titus Tuuppurainen, minister of Finland for European Affairs.

Public opinion has changed since Russia attacked Ukraine. At the end of last year, a quarter of the Finnish population spoke for NATO membership. The latest survey shows that 76 percent favour joining the alliance.

We can't live like we used to with such an unpredictable neighbour. To NATO is the only option as a security solution (our)”, says Pekka Luhta, resident of Helsinki

If you look at geographical facts, we are the only European country, not NATO member, neighbouring Russia, that has not been attacked so far. It tells me why we have to unite. I don't trust Russia much, says Sanna Allt, resident of Helsinki.

Finland is considering a joint application for NATO membership with Sweden, which has so far also held a neutral status. The alliance has made it clear that Finland and Sweden are more than welcome and could be joined within months.

Both are members of the European Union. Their military troops regularly participate in NATO exercises and are able to engage in combat activities in the Arctic region. They would significantly boost alliance skills in Baltic and Northern Europe, where Russia has a massive military presence.

“would be a considerable group of Nordic nations within the alliance in the future. And that makes sense. Second is military skills and knowledge. I think we have a modern, capable defense force that we've built over the years”, says General Sami Nurme.

Russia has threatened with what it calls a “military technical response” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, including the delocation of nuclear weapons in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. But such nuclear threats may have produced the opposite effect.

We haven't seen such a threat in the Cold War. This is disturbing and one of the clear reasons why the Finnish political elite is changing the mind, that although Finland's defence can be strong, it will never be able to build a strong nuclear prevention system. The only way to do that is NATO membership”, says Charly Sallonus-Pasternak, representative of the Finnish Institute for International Relations.

Before the attack in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that NATO withdraw its forces from Eastern Europe. Instead, the alliance seems determined to accept new members.

“The radical change in thinking about security and defence policy from these two countries, within months, should certainly be seen as another strategic failure of Putin”, says analyst Sallonus-Pasternak.

For Finland and Sweden, NATO membership would represent a huge change in its strategic outlook.

Since declaring independence from Russia in 1917, Finland has been a neutral country. But Russia's attack on Ukraine has prompted a radical review of its security needs in the face of its eastern neighbour's threat.