The significance of Finland and Sweden joining NATO
Izvestia newspaper (Russia) recently quoted an interview with Russian experts saying that Finland and Sweden joining NATO will fundamentally change political ties in Europe.
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| Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the country will apply to join NATO. Photo: Reuters |
According to Finland's state-run Yle Radio and Television, as of May 9, 76% of Finnish citizens supported joining NATO. Commenting on this issue, Director General of the Russian Council on International Affairs Andrey Kortunov said: "The sharp change in Finnish public opinion is linked to Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. It is a shock to Finnish society and the political class. Uncertainty is growing for the country. Finland is changing its attitude towards NATO and, in a sense, justifying the need to ensure its security in a volatile geopolitical context."
The question is, how stable is this position? It is unclear whether support for NATO membership will continue in Finland for months or years to come. But the country’s political leadership has decided that it cannot wait.
Along with Finland, neighboring Sweden also plans to join NATO. "With the admission of these two countries to the US-led Alliance, NATO will benefit in the northwestern European region. In terms of infrastructure, Norway will also be strengthened, the country participates quite actively in the activities of the Alliance," said Valery Zhuravel, head of the Arctic Research Center at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Meanwhile, expert Kortunov emphasized that: "The Russian-Finnish border may also require some strengthening and modernization. In general, the two countries joining the alliance will lead to a change in the balance of forces in the Baltic Sea."
On May 15, the Finnish government officially announced its decision to join NATO. The decision will be discussed in the country's parliament on May 16, with a vote likely to take place a day later. According to Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, the application for NATO membership will most likely be submitted to NATO headquarters in Brussels on May 17.
Speaking on the issue, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the Alliance will accelerate the transition to full membership as soon as possible if Finland and Sweden apply for membership.
In response, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that further NATO expansion would not bring greater security to Europe because NATO has become "aggressive". The spokesman also noted that he did not consider the possibility of Sweden and Finland joining NATO as an existential threat to Russia. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a phone call with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö that abandoning the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake./.
