Finnish President Sauli NiinisteWASHINGTON, Mar 5The Finnish authorities are ready to discuss NATO membership, believing that the situation in the world has changed due to the events in Ukraine, President Sauli Niiniste said. «We have a changed situation both in Finland and in Sweden. For the first time we see that the majority in favor, according to polls. We are now open to a discussion on this issue with our parliament,» he said in an interview with Fox television. Prime Minister Sanna Marin said earlier that Helsinki was ready to apply for membership in the alliance if the question security. According to Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Finland and Sweden have been in active contact with NATO since 1994 and continue to discuss European security issues with the alliance. According to US State Department spokesman Ned Price, the decision to take such a step is up to these countries, the doors of the alliance remain open. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in response to requests from the Donbass republics and after an appeal from State Duma deputies, signed decrees recognizing the sovereignty of the LPR and DPR. Early on the morning of February 24, Russia launched a military special operation to demilitarize Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops. The offensive is taking place in several directions, Kyiv is blocked from the west. A detailed map of the regions of Ukraine in which the Russian military operates, however, has not yet been officially published. The Aerospace Forces have achieved air supremacy over the whole of Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops, nothing threatens the civilian population. With the support of the Russian military, parts of the DPR and LPR are developing an offensive. The occupation of Ukraine is out of the question, Putin emphasized earlier.
