Sweden wants to join NATO/Getty Images
The Russian authorities frightened their citizens with “NATO's attack on their borders”. This is what explained the beginning of the war against Ukraine. But it played against Russia itself. Now two more neighboring countries want to join NATO.
The war that Russia has launched against Ukraine has forced many countries to rethink their security status. Even those countries that do not have common borders with Russia. But which Russian propagandists have “territorial claims” against? Among such countries is Sweden.
Sweden does not have a common border with Russia. But in the Baltic Sea there is the Swedish island of Gotland, which is only 350 kilometers from Kaliningrad, where the headquarters of the Russian Baltic fleet is located. Russian propagandists have repeatedly spoken about the need for its occupation. After all, then it will be possible to organize an attack on Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Sweden and Finland have long maintained neutrality between Russia and NATO. The Finns pursued a policy of good neighborliness with Russia. The Swedes also tried once again not to irritate Russia with its nuclear weapons. Although both countries are quite well armed.
Everything changed after Russia openly attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The leadership of both countries is clear that even good neighborly relations with Russia will not stop it from military aggression. Thus, in this case, it is much better to defend Article 5 of the NATO treaty, where an attack on one NATO member is equated to an attack on the entire Alliance.
The Finnish authorities have announced their readiness to apply for NATO membership. She was also supported by the authorities of Sweden. On Monday, May 16, there will be additional debates in the Swedish Parliament on the issue of the country's security. It is after them that a government meeting is scheduled, at which a decision should be made on applying for membership in the Alliance.
And already on Tuesday, May 17, Finnish President Sauli Niinostiio will arrive in Sweden on a two-day working visit. Before that, it was repeatedly reported that both countries plan to join NATO together and coordinate their steps.
NATO will gladly accept Sweden and Finland
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also said that if both countries apply for membership in NATO, they will be considered without additional delays. After all, both countries have a modern army and weapons, and integration into the Alliance can take place much faster.
In addition, for NATO, expanding Scandinavia to these countries will significantly strengthen its northern flank in the confrontation with Russia.
Common border and Russian history
Hysteria has already begun in Russia about the possible entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO. After all, the Russians have always carried out their aggressive military policy under the statements that “NATO is trying to surround them.” Although with 20 thousand kilometers of Russia's land border, they had only 1215 kilometers of a common border with NATO member countries. These are Norway in the north, Estonia and Latvia with continental Russia, as well as Lithuania and Poland with the Russian enclave – the Kaliningrad region.
Now, if Finland joins NATO, the length of this border will double. There are 1320 km of land border between Russia and Finland. And from Finnish territory to St. Petersburg – about 200 kilometers.
Russia is already threatening both the Scandinavian countries and NATO with retaliatory steps. After the start of the war against Ukraine, the civilized world no longer knows what to expect from the head of the Kremlin. The local leader Vladimir Putin has his own vision of how the world should be. Before, he demanded that NATO renounce the possibility of expansion (not to accept new countries into the Alliance), and that NATO troops should be withdrawn from the country of Central-Eastern Europe.
The war against Ukraine, Putin achieved only the opposite. Now even Sweden, which has maintained military neutrality for a long time, is looking for protection from a distraught neighbor.
