Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said her country will decide whether to join NATO within a few weeks. This could also cause neighboring Sweden to do the same.
Ludwig Marine | Afp | Getty Images
Finland may be announcing its membership in the military alliance NATO. This represents a dramatic U-turn in foreign policy and can upset the Russian president. Vladimir Putin.
The Nordic countries share an 808-mile border with Russia and have been carefully walking the foreign policy tightrope between Moscow and the West for decades. Finland adopted a neutral policy during the Cold War. In other words, avoiding conflict with Russia. And in the early stages of World War II, the Finns successfully repelled the Soviet invasion that became known as the “Winter War.”
However, its long-loved neutral nation, loved by many Finns, may be ending due to Russia’s provocative invasion of Ukraine.
Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior researcher at the German Marshall Fund, told CNBC that Finland’s accession to NATO would put an end to the idea of ”forced neutrality between East and West.”
“This forces Russia’s vicious actions in Ukraine to fully commit to NATO in the former neutral nation in that” you are completely with us or we do not protect you. ” I emphasize how I did it, “he said.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it opposes the enlargement of NATO, one of the reasons for the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has voiced his desire to join the alliance before the invasion. But since then admits it’s unlikely..
public opinion
So far, NATO countries (30 members in total) have supported Ukraine with military equipment, but refused to send troops because it would effectively put Russia and the West into war. One of NATO’s guidelines is that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members.
Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last week, “I will not announce when to make a decision, but I think it will happen quite early,” adding that his country’s accession to NATO will be decided “within a few weeks.”
Opinion polls show that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 The majority of Finns are now in favor of joining NATO.. Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said Thursday that “definitely” Finland would apply for NATO membership in mid-May.
NATO may benefit from Finland’s geographic location and military power. Its Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, has already said that the country will be warmly welcomed.
risk
But at the same time, Helsinki is aware of the risks of joining the alliance.
In a report to the Finnish Parliament in mid-April, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: The border between Finland and Russia. “
Russia said Finland needed to “rebalance the situation” if it were to join NATO.
Perhaps more importantly, a NATO-affiliated Finnish bid could encourage Sweden to do the same.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson said earlier this week, alongside Finland’s counterparts, that her country is doing the same analysis as Finland.
“Finland’s accession to NATO will be accompanied by the traditionally more reluctant Sweden at the same time, which will end the centuries of Sweden’s neutral nation and bring NATO a major military and weapons producer. “I will join,” said Kakegard.
