NATO warns the Kremlin that it will defend Sweden and Finland even if Turkey has not ratified its accession

NATO warns the Kremlin that will come to the defense of Sweden and Finland in the event of a Russian attack although Turkey has not ratified its accession. After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the two Nordic countries abandoned their traditional policy of neutrality and requested to join the Atlantic Alliance as they felt threatened by Moscow. The entry was approved at the Madrid summit in June and has been ratified by 28 of the 30 member states: only Turkey and Hungary are missing.

“As guests, they are now being integrated into NATO’s political and military structures. And it is inconceivable that the allies will not act if Sweden and Finland are under some form of pressure.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a joint press conference with the new Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson.

Stoltenberg has emphasized that “many allies have given security guarantees to both countries” and furthermore “NATO has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea region” in response to the war in Ukraine. “We have been maneuvering and working together more than ever. The accession process of Sweden and Finland has been the fastest in modern NATO history,” the secretary general boasts.

[La OTAN firma la entrada de Suecia y Finlandia en tiempo récord por la amenaza de Rusia]

However, the entrance to the club of both countries has run aground due to the resistance of Turkey, which accuses them of harboring Kurdish activists from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, considered a terrorist organization by the EU. At the Madrid summit, the three countries reached an agreement to resolve the issue, but the president Recep Tayip Erdogan argues that Finland (and especially Sweden) are not doing their part. The reasons for Hungary’s delay are not at all clear.

Stoltenberg asserts that Sweden has taken “important concrete steps” to apply the trilateral Madrid memorandum, such as ending the arms embargo against Turkey, “prohibiting participation in terrorist organizations, including the PKK” or facilitating the extradition of persons required by Ankara.

For his part, the new prime minister says he is willing to send a positive signal to Turkey. “We are fully committed to the (Madrid) agreement, as was the previous government. But I think we now have more instruments to demonstrate in practice that we are delivering on what we promised,” Kristersson said.

Article 5 of the Washington Treaty obliges NATO countries to come to the rescue of any ally that suffers an attack. However, in theory it is only activated if a country is a full member of the club, something that only happens when the ratification is complete.

The NATO secretary general has accused Iran of supplying Russia with the drones with which it has bombed kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in recent days. A diagnosis that shares European Unionthat this Thursday has approved a new package of sanctions against an Iranian company and three people responsible for deliveries of these drones.

“But what I can say is that everything indicates that Iran is supplying these drones to Russia. And we call on all nations, including Iran, not to support Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. This is a war of aggression. It is a war that clearly violates international law and is an attack on a sovereign and independent nation in Europe,” Stoltenberg said.