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Finland and Sweden are expected to formally apply to join NATO later this month. According to VOA’s Henry Ridgwell in Helsinki, authorities in both countries say Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine has changed the security landscape in Europe and that the Kremlin’s nuclear threat requires the collective protection offered by the alliance.
For decades, even during the height of the Cold War, Finland has maintained a cautious course of neutrality as NATO and Russia strive for supremacy in Europe.
But the situation has changed over the course of a few months. Representatives of the Finnish government told VOA they expect to formally apply for NATO membership within the next two weeks.
“It is clear 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 guarantee the security of the Finns and Finland? We are part of the West and NATO membership is a kind of finalization of our western integration“, Says Tytti Tuppurainen, Minister of Finland for European Affairs.
Public opinion has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine. At the end of last year, a quarter of the Finnish population voted in favor of NATO membership. The latest poll shows that 76 percent are in favor of joining the alliance.
“We can not live as before with such an unpredictable neighbor. So NATO is the only option as a solution for (our) security“, Says Pekka Luhta, a resident of Helsinki
“If you look at the geographical facts, we are the only European country, not a NATO member, neighboring Russia, that has not been attacked so far. In my opinion, this shows the reason why we should join (the alliance). I do not trust Russia very much“, Says Sanna Allt, a resident of Helsinki.
Finland is considering a joint application for NATO membership with Sweden, which has so far also maintained a neutral status. The Alliance has made it clear that Finland and Sweden are more than welcome and can join within a few months.
Both are member states of the European Union. Their military troops regularly participate in NATO exercises and are capable of engaging in combat activities in the Arctic region. They would significantly increase the alliance’s capabilities in the Baltics and Northern Europe, where Russia has a massive military presence.
“It would be a considerable group of Nordic nations within the alliance in the future. And that makes sense. Second are military skills and knowledge. I think we have a modern, capable defense force that we have built over the years“, Says General Sami Nurmi (Finnish Ministry of Defense).
Russia has threatened what it calls a “military technical response” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, including the deployment of nuclear weapons in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. But such nuclear threats may have produced the opposite effect.
“We did not see such a threat even during the Cold War. This is troubling and one of the clear reasons why the Finnish political elite is changing its mind, that although Finland’s defense may be strong, it will never be able to build a strong nuclear deterrent system. The only way to do that is to join NATO“, Says Charly Salonius-Pasternak, representative of the Finnish Institute for International Relations.
Prior to the attack on 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 of thinking on the security and defense policy of these two countries, within a few months, should certainly be seen as another strategic failure of Putin“, Says analyst Salonius-Pasternak.
For Finland and Sweden, NATO membership would represent an enormous change in its strategic perspective.
Since declaring independence from Russia in 1917, Finland has been a neutral country. But Russia’s attack on Ukraine has prompted a radical overhaul of its security needs in the face of the threat from its eastern neighbor.
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