Finland and Sweden formally apply for NATO membership

“I welcome the request from Finland and Sweden to join NATO,” said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference with each country’s ambassadors in Brussels. “You are our closest partners and your NATO membership will increase our overall security.

Stoltenberg called the statements a “historic step” and said the Allies are now considering the next steps.

How Putin’s fierce war in Ukraine pushed NATO into Ukraine

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson and Finnish President Saul Niinisto will present themselves at the White House on Thursday, where President Biden is expected to express their support.

NATO officials and several allies have indicated that Finland and Sweden can await protection until their accession is fully ratified and is part of NATO’s Collective Defense Pact, known as Article 5.

The real question is whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay the bill. European officials and diplomats have said Finland and Sweden are ready for hybrid or stealth attacks.

Putin named the threat of NATO expansion as justifying his invasion of Ukraine for no reason. Kiev itself is not considered on the road to NATO membership. But Putin’s war has renewed the alliance, which is now ready to double the land border with Russia.

The two new members will drag all NATO forces north and strengthen its presence in the Baltic Sea region. The alliance will gain experience with two sophisticated military personnel operating along Russia’s borders. Sweden also occupies the strategically important island of Gotland, just 200 miles from the Russian army in Kaliningrad.

Finland and Sweden have so far not seen themselves as neutral. In a military sense, they were close partners of NATO. Politically, they are members of the European Union.

But thinking and rethinking their armies was an important part of their self-confidence. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the majority of the population of both countries said it was safer to stay out of NATO. However, there has been a dramatic upheaval in public opinion in recent months.

“We are leaving an era and starting a new one,” said Anderson from Sweden, announcing the decision on Monday.

Why weren’t Finland and Sweden part of NATO?

“Considering it is February, this is an extraordinary development,” said Anna Wisslander, director of the North European Office of the Atlantic Council.

Russia wanted to go back in time, go back to the Cold War, fragment and weaken the West. “Now, we’re here in May.”

Following the comments, NATO will convene a decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, to decide whether to follow up on the request. A NATO official said that accession negotiations will be held here, on condition of anonymity, in accordance with the basic rules of the Alliance.

This first phase of the accession process should be swift, as both countries are already close partners of NATO. After that, it could take “months” for each Member State to approve its decision, he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed skepticism about the accession of Sweden and Finland last week, but NATO officials and analysts believe Turkey will align. “We are ready to work on all issues and draw quick conclusions,” Stoltenberg said Wednesday. He said.

Russian officials have warned of the “consequences” at every step, but in recent days they have been more muted.

Putin said on Monday that the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO posed no imminent threat to Russia, but warned that military reinforcement in any country could change that assessment.

“Russia has no problems with Finland and Sweden, and in that sense expansion at the expense of these countries does not pose an immediate threat to us,” he said in a televised speech on Monday. But expanding military infrastructure in this area will certainly trigger our reaction.

“Whatever happens, we will look into the dangers that will arise for us,” he said. “We will respond accordingly.”

In a phone call over the weekend, Putin told Finnish President Saul Niinisto that his decision to join NATO was “wrong” and could have a “negative impact” on Russia-Finland relations, but he made no specific threats. . .

Russia resents Finland’s membership of NATO but cannot do much

NATO and European officials have greatly reduced the risk of significant Russian aggression.

The country’s army in Ukraine was locked in heavy fighting and lost soldiers and equipment. Russia also withdrew its troops from the Finnish border to fight in Ukraine, leaving Moscow with limited capabilities for military purposes at the border.

Given the widespread support for NATO membership in Finland and Sweden, it will be difficult for Russia to try to influence their societies.

“There is no room for intervention, there is no reason for people to change their minds,” said Henry Vanhanen, a foreign policy expert and adviser to the National Center-Right Coalition Party in Finland. This is the democratic resilience we have against Russia.

“Russia has no access to Finland and Sweden, which are currently trying to join NATO,” he said. “He has to get used to it.”

If Putin proves anything, the allies have promised support. Britain, Denmark, France, Iceland and Norway are among those who have pledged military assistance if Finland or Sweden attack. “Anyone who tries to test European solidarity by threatening or attacking their sovereignty in any way should be sure that France will support Finland and Sweden,” he said. The statement was released on Monday.