Russia
Finland has become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), doubling the length of member states’ borders with Russia. The Finnish Foreign Minister handed the accession document to the US Secretary of State, who declared Finland a member. In a ceremony at NATO’s new headquarters, Finland’s white-and-blue flag joined a circle of 30 other flags.
The accession is a setback for Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who had repeatedly complained of NATO’s expansion before his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Russian leader had triggered exactly what he had sought to prevent. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Russia would be “watching closely” what happens in Finland, describing NATO’s enlargement as a “violation of our security and our national interests”.
Finland shares a 1,340-km (832-mile) eastern frontier with Russia and after the war in Ukraine began, Helsinki chose the protection of NATO’s Article Five, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. This means that if Finland were invaded or attacked, all NATO members – including the US – would come to its aid.
The surge in Finnish public opinion towards joining NATO was at 80% in favour. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto proclaimed a new era for his country, stating that Finland would be a reliable ally and its membership would not be a threat to anyone. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also described it as a proud day for him and the alliance.
Finland will receive an iron-clad security guarantee, with Article 5 – NATO’s collective defence clause – now applying to Finland. Secretary Blinken said that he was “tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr Putin for, because he once again here has precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russia’s aggression”.
Finland brings with it a well-equipped and trained, active armed force of about 30,000, as well as 250,000 reserves. It also provides a challenge for NATO to help keep its long border with Russia secure, but it is already being included in NATO’s latest defence plans to keep the alliance secure.
Sweden’s application has become stuck, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Stockholm of embracing Kurdish militants and allowing them to demonstrate on the streets. Hungary is also yet to approve Sweden joining. As he handed over the accession document to Mr Blinken, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said he had a very important initial task: “The task is to give to you for the deposit also our ratification for Swedish membership.”
NATO will now have seven members on the Baltic Sea, further isolating Russia’s coastal access to St Petersburg and its small exclave of Kaliningrad. In response, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russia’s short-range Iskander-M ballistic missile system had been handed over to Belarus and was capable of carrying nuclear as well as conventional weapons. Some Belarusian fighter jets were also capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Helsinki’s journey to accession has lasted less than a year and Tuesday’s ceremony coincided with the 74th anniversary of NATO’s founding in 1949. US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said that Finland was a “terrific ally” and that they expected a “seamless transition into its proper seat at the table”.
Finland has become the 31st member of NATO, doubling the length of member states’ borders with Russia. This accession is a setback for Vladimir Putin, who had previously complained of NATO’s expansion before his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Russian leader had triggered exactly what he had sought to prevent.
In response to the threat of invasion or attack, Finland chose the protection of NATO’s Article Five which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. This means that all NATO members – including the US – would come to its aid if needed. The surge in Finnish public opinion towards joining NATO was at 80% in favour.
Finland will receive an iron-clad security guarantee and will be included in NATO’s latest defence plans to keep the alliance secure. However, Sweden’s application has become stuck due to accusations from Turkey and Hungary yet to approve their joining.
NATO will now have seven members on the Baltic Sea, further isolating Russia’s coastal access to St Petersburg and its small exclave of Kaliningrad. In response, Russia has handed over its short-range Iskander-M ballistic missile system to Belarus which is capable of carrying nuclear as well as conventional weapons.
Helsinki’s journey to accession has lasted less than a year and Tuesday’s ceremony coincided with the 74th anniversary of NATO’s founding in 1949. US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said that Finland was a “terrific ally” and that they expected a “seamless transition into its proper seat at the table”.