Finland becomes a new NATO member and Russia promises “countermeasures”

First modification: 04/04/2023 – 16:42

Finland became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A step that means a historic change in terms of foreign policy, since the Nordic country leaves behind the traditional military neutrality that characterized its relations with Russia and the Western bloc.

The NATO flag was raised alongside that of Finland in Helsinki, in an addendum that lacked only the signature of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to completely seal Finland’s joining the alliance.

After the signing, a ceremony was held with the foreign ministers of the alliance members to witness the raising of the Finnish flag outside the NATO headquarters in Brussels. An act in which the Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö, will be present, accompanied by his government cabinet.

“Putin caused the expansion of the alliance”: Jens Stoltenberg

Finland’s new NATO membership represents a 180º turn in the Nordic nation’s foreign policy tradition. Since the attempted Soviet invasion of the country during World War II, Finland had handled its relations with Russia diplomatically. This may have changed since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

“President Putin’s declared objective of the invasion of Ukraine was to weaken NATO,” Stoltenberg said moments before the ceremony that made Finland’s entry into the alliance official. “He is achieving the exact opposite. Finland today, and soon also Sweden will become full members of the alliance,” he added.

Finland’s entry into NATO was not the first collective security move the country has taken recently. On March 24, the commanders of the armed forces of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland signed a letter of commitment to create a “unified Nordic air defense” against the threat from Russia.

These defensive actions by the Finnish government have not been viewed favorably in Moscow, and the Kremlin has already announced that it will act in accordance with NATO activities on Finnish soil, since a deployment of military infrastructure there would pose a threat to the security of its borders, according to the official position.

Russia will take the necessary measures to guarantee your safety

The spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov, was one of the Kremlin officials who reacted publicly to the officialization of Finnish membership in NATO and stated that this movement represents a “new escalation” in relations with the organization.

“This forces us to take countermeasures to guarantee our security,” said Peskov, who also added that the government headed by President Vladimir Putin “perceives” the expansion of NATO as an attack against the fundamental interests of the country.

However, Peskov also assured that the situation in Finland is completely different from that in Ukraine. “Finland has never been anti-Russia and there have been no disputes,” the official added, saying that Russia would only react negatively if the alliance deployed military infrastructure near its border with Finland.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed the country’s position through a statement to public opinion. In the message, it is conveyed that Finland would have “sacrificed” a foreign policy tradition that worked for many years, to join an alliance “that decides nothing.”

NATO moves closer to the Russian border

With the joining of the 31st member of the alliance, the NATO countries together now have a 2,600 kilometer border with Russia, of which 1,300 kilometers belong to Finnish territory.

The border is also characterized by its low surveillance and militarization, which makes it a highly strategic area for the transatlantic organization.

Finland has approximately 5.5 million people and more than 20,000 active duty soldiers, although if necessary, the Finnish military could have more than a million strong in the event of war, by adding military service reserves and elements of the navy and air force.

Sweden had hoped to join the alliance in unison with Finland, however the Turkish and Hungarian governments have put obstacles in the way of their membership, resulting in the Finns having to join alone.

In relation to this issue, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, intervened, who, in addition to congratulating Finland on its accession, urged Budapest and Ankara to cede in accepting Sweden.

From Kiev, they celebrated Finland’s membership, although they urged the alliance to speed up so that Ukraine meets the same fate as the Nordics and can be part of the organization, a move that could explode world tensions with Russia.

With Reuters, AP and EFE