President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) spoke on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, ahead of an evening gala where Finland and Sweden were to be honoured with the Ewald von Kleist Award for their decision to join Nato.
During the day, Niinistö took part in a panel discussion on Nato, security and European partnerships. He also held a number of one-on-one meetings with leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt before an evening press conference.
Speaking to reporters, Niinistö said that messages from Turkey have varied of late. He noted that, according to Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (Green), Turkey has said that Finland has met the terms of last summer’s three-way agreement.
“So we have moved forward on that,” Niinistö said.
“The Swedes' concern is, of course, quite understandable, if and when it appears that Finland is nevertheless moving ahead [before them],” he said. “Swedes understand very well exactly the Finnish dilemma that refusing one's own request is quite difficult.”
According to Niinistö, it is up to the current Nato members to accept Finland and Sweden, if they want to.
No plans to call Erdogan
Niinistö added that he does not plan to call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the matter.
“I don't see any need for it this point,” he said.
In comments early on Saturday, Niinistö reiterated that Finland aims to join Nato at the same time as Sweden. This past week, Turkey indicated that it may consider the Nato applications of Finland and Sweden at different times.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg signalled a change of tone, saying that "the main question is not whether Finland and Sweden are ratified together (but) that they are both ratified as soon as possible.”
The chair of the Finnish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Jussi Halla-aho (Finns), struck a similar note in an interview with Yle earlier on Saturday, saying that “progress in the two Nordic countries' membership processes is more important than their simultaneity”.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Marin said at the Munich Conference that the world had made a mistake in 2014, when there should have been a stronger reaction to Russia's attack on Crimea.
According to Marin, the current war would not have broken out if there had been a more decisive response to the annexation of Crimea.
The Munich Security Conference brings world leaders together ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as Kyiv steps up pleas for more weapons.
Finland’s foreign, defence and European affairs ministers are also taking part in the Munich conference, which ends on Sunday.