Sweden is the country you see in blue.
It shares a border with Finland, which you see in
green.
However, to the right of Finland is Russia, which you can see in red.
Finland and Russia share a 1,340 km long border.
This border has become an issue for both Finland and Sweden, as they have come under threat
from Russia not to join NATO!
Finland, Sweden, and Russia are all European countries but are not members of NATO
and Russia is not likely to ever join.
However, Russia is extremely wary of its close neighbors, Finland and Sweden joining the
military cooperation.
Russia considers NATO a threat to its sovereignty.
NATO began beefing up its defenses in northeastern Europe after Russia annexed
Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Recently, some members have also sent troops, aircraft, and warships to the Black Sea region,
near allies Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey.
While Russia continues its military operation in its neighboring country Ukraine, it has
kept an eye on a pair of arctic neighbors, Finland and Sweden.
According to Russian foreign affairs spokesperson, Maria Zakharova,
“Finland and Sweden should not base their security on damaging the security of
other countries and their accession to NATO can have detrimental consequences and face
some military and political consequences.”
She continued, “All OSCE member states in their national capacity,
including Finland and Sweden, have reaffirmed the principle that the security of one
country cannot be built at the expense of the security of others.
Obviously, the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, which
is primarily a military alliance as you well understand, would have serious military
and political consequences, which would require our country to make response steps.”
The Russian foreign ministry echoed the same statement on Twitter, posting, “We
regard the Finnish government's commitment to a military non-alignment policy as an
important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe.
Finland's accession to NATO would have serious military
and political repercussions.”
Vladimir Putin is widely believed to have attacked Ukraine after western nations mooted
the idea of the country joining NATO, over fears it could end up with a US military
presence on its doorstep.
Both Sweden and Finland have responded to the threats by Russia against them joining
NATO.
What did they have to say?
First, why are Finland and Sweden not members of
NATO?
NATO members are committed to defending one another from an attack by a foreign
power, and a condition of membership is spending two percent of GEP on defense.
Ukraine was not a member of NATO, which is why Western powers have no obligation
to send troops to their defense.
Out of the 27 members of the European Union, Finland is one of just six that is not also
a member of NATO, alongside Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, and Sweden.
However, Finland is part of NATO’s Partnership for
Peace program, which allows flexible cooperation between the two parties and is
generally seen as a trust-building outfit that
may eventually lead to a full NATO membership.
But while Finland maintains the right to make up its own mind about joining NATO, it
has also previously made clear its intentions not to join the alliance.
The Russian-Finnish ‘Winter War’ that took place from 1939 to 1940 created a strong
belief of military prowess for Finland and, unlike most countries in Europe, it did not
significantly reduce its military even after the cold war ended.
Because of its shared 1,340km border with Russia, ensuring it can protect itself has
since been a high priority for Finland but it doesn’t believe that it needs NATO to
remain secure.
This was reiterated in a speech given by Finnish foreign minister Pekka
Haavisto the day Russia invaded Ukraine.
However, Finland has provided support to Ukraine, which President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy acknowledged on Twitter.
The aid to the besieged country was 50 million dollars.
The Finnish president, Sauli Niinisto, also condemned the action of Russia in
Ukraine, posting, “I strongly condemn the military measures Russia has started in
Ukraine.
Russia's acts target Ukraine, but at the same time, they are an attack on the
entire European security order.
We feel deep compassion towards Ukraine and are
seeking ways to increase our support to Ukraine.”
Show tweet: https://twitter.com/niinisto/status/1496706934002626563?
s=20&t=jLSdWG0kl8KwEToP4Rypcg What about Sweden?
Why is it not a member of NATO?
Sweden has long maintained a neutral stance in world politics, though like
Finland it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994.
Sweden has held neutrality for two centuries and as it relies on
trade with both the United States and Russia, it has sought to stay that way.
However, after the events of 2014, Sweden shifted its goal and began investing
resources back into its military after several acts of hostility from Russia.
Sweden reported multiple incursions into its territory
with Russia believed to be at the helm.
The invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula also
prompted Sweden to boost its military capabilities.
Public positivity towards NATO spiked as a result, and in 2019, data from Gothenburg
University showed that roughly the same amount of people wanted to join NATO as
those who didn’t.
Sweden is also helping Ukraine, and President Zelenskyy acknowledged the donation in
terms of military, technical, and humanitarian assistance.
The prime minister also tweeted, “Sweden condemns in the strongest
terms Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s acts are also an attack on the European security order.
It will be met by a united and robust response in solidarity
with Ukraine.
Russia alone is responsible for human suffering.”
It was the first time offering military aid since 1939 when it assisted Finland against
the Soviet Union.
Show tweet: https://twitter.com/SwedishPM/status/1496726373859315720?
s=20&t=Z4iReIE_5D6_RROwIDawWw Meanwhile, most people in Sweden and Finland
now want to join NATO after war broke out in Ukraine - despite Russia's threat it
will 'retaliate' if they join the alliance.
A poll commissioned by Finnish broadcaster YLE this
week showed that, for the first time, more than 50 percent of Finns support joining
the Western military alliance.
The YLE poll showed 53 percent were in favor of Finland
joining NATO, with only 28 percent against it.
The poll had an error margin of 2.5 percentage points and included 1,382
respondents interviewed from February 23 to 25.
Russia's invasion began on February 24.
In Sweden, a similar poll showed those in favor of NATO membership outnumber those
against it.
The poll results come hours after four Russian fighter jets violated Sweden's
airspace over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday evenings, as Moscow forces continued to
bombard cities in Ukraine.
Two SU-27 and two SU-24 fighters - flew briefly over
Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland, according to a statement from the
Swedish Armed Forces.
'In light of the current situation we are very concerned about the incident,' Swedish
Air Force chief Carl-Johan Edstrom said.
'This is unprofessional and irresponsible behavior
from the Russian side.'
The statement added that Swedish fighter jets were scrambled and took photographs of
the Russian jets.
“This shows that our readiness is good.
We were in place to secure the territorial integrity and Swedish borders,”
Edstrom continued.
“We have total control of the situation.”
Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told news agency TT, “The Russian violation of
Swedish airspace is of course completely unacceptable.
It will lead to a firm diplomatic response from Sweden.
Swedish sovereignty and territory must always be respected.”
In Sweden, a late February poll commissioned by the Swedish public broadcaster SVT
found 41 percent of Swedes supported NATO membership and 35 percent opposed it,
marking the first time that those in favor exceeded those against.
Support for NATO membership rises and falls in both Finland and Sweden, and there is
no clear majority for joining in either of their parliaments.
But the signs of change since Russia began its invasion last week are unmistakable.
There are no set criteria for joining NATO, but aspiring candidates must meet certain
political and other considerations.
Many observers believe Finland and Sweden would
qualify for fast-track entry into NATO without lengthy negotiations and membership
could be a reality within months.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said this week that her Social Democratic Party
would discuss possible NATO membership with other parties but didn't set a time frame.
She said everyone agrees that the events of the past weeks have been a game-
changer.
“Together we see that the security situation has changed remarkably since
Russia attacked Ukraine.
It is a fact that we have to acknowledge,” Marin said.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said Saturday that “we’ve heard this before.”
“We don’t think that it calls for a military threat,” Haavisto said in an interview with
the Finnish public broadcaster YLE.
“Should Finland be NATO’s external border, it rather
means that Russia would certainly take that into account in its own defense planning.
I don’t see anything new as such.”
Earlier, he had commented, “We have a security policy designed to withstand times of
crisis.
We will use the means at our disposal, including cooperation with NATO partners.
After a crisis, we will see what further action is needed.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg noted that for Helsinki and Stockholm “this
is a question of self-determination and the sovereign right to choose your own path and
then potentially in the future, also to apply for NATO.”
Despite all this, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson made clear that her
country still believed in its neutrality.
She said: “Sweden has been alliance-free for an
extremely long time.
It has served Sweden’s interests well.”
However, she later added: “I want to be extremely clear.
It is Sweden that itself and independently decides on our
security policy line.”
However, Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto has stressed: “Finland’s room to maneuver
and freedom of choice also includes the possibility of military alignment and of applying
for NATO membership, should we ourselves so decide.”
Niinisto further said he didn’t see the statement meaning Moscow was threatening
Finland militarily but rather what kind of “countersteps” Russia would take should
Finland join NATO.
Niinisto also told Finnish media that he didn’t see Zakharova’s statement being any
different from what she and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have said before
on Finland’s possible membership in NATO.
He also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the issue with a
similar tone already in 2016 during his Finland visit.
Others, including former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, have said that Russia is
“pushing Finland closer to NATO membership” and that “at this rate, we have no other
option but to join.”
Joe Biden comment on Russia's miscalculation on assaulting Ukraine “Not only is
NATO more unified, look at what’s going on in terms of Finland, look at what’s going
on in terms of Sweden, look what’s going on
in other countries.
I mean he’s producing the exact opposite effect that he intended.”