Finland today officially became the 31st member of NATO, completing a historic shift in security policy triggered by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by presenting an official document to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Moscow previously warned it will take countermeasures in response to Finland’s rise, with Putin’s chief spokesman saying the Kremlin viewed the move as an “attack on our security” after Russia’s despot ordered the invasion last year of sovereign Ukraine.
Meanwhile, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called the alliance’s latest expansion a historic event and a direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and pledged to ensure that Finland’s compatriot Sweden also joins.
‘[…] Putin’s stated goal in invading Ukraine was to get less NATO,” Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers.
“He gets the exact opposite… Finland today, and soon Sweden will also become a full member of the alliance,” he said.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (left) completed the accession process by presenting an official document to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Center: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman said today that Moscow views Finland’s entry into the Western military alliance as an “attack on our security” after the Russian despot ordered the invasion of sovereign Ukraine last year. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers ride a BMP infantry fighting vehicle on a road near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, on April 3
Finnish and NATO flags fly in the courtyard of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki, Finland ahead of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on April 4
Finland’s entry into NATO roughly doubles the limit of the US-led alliance with Russia.
The start of the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine – a sovereign nation with its own intentions to join NATO – upended Europe’s security landscape and prompted Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of military discord.
The event marks the end of an era of military non-alignment for Finland, which began after the country turned down an invasion attempt by the Soviet Union during World War II, opting instead to try to maintain friendly relations with neighboring Russia.
But Russia’s recent invasion of another neighboring country, Ukraine, which began in February 2022, prompted the Finns to seek safety under the umbrella of NATO’s collective defense pact, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on Everybody is.
Sweden underwent a similar transformation in defense thinking, and Stockholm and Helsinki jointly applied to join NATO last year. But Sweden’s application has been blocked by NATO members Turkey and Hungary.
After both countries approved Finland’s application last week, the final formal step on the Helsinki journey will come when Secretary of State Pekka Haavisto hands over his country’s accession document to US government officials in Brussels.
Then the country’s blue and white flag will be hoisted alongside those of its new allies, between those of Estonia and France, in front of the gleaming headquarters in Brussels.
Ahead of today’s ceremony, Russia raged against Finland’s accession, labeling its membership an “attack on our security” and saying it would take countermeasures.
“The Kremlin believes this is the latest worsening of the situation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“NATO expansion is an attack on our security and Russia’s national interests,” he added. “And that forces us to take countermeasures… tactically and strategically.” He gave no further details on what this might be.
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Finland’s entry into NATO’s military alliance — and NATO’s move to boost its own combat readiness — increases the risk of conflict between Russia and the West.
Shoigu also said that some Belarusian military jets could now carry nuclear warheads and that Iskander missile systems had been transferred to Belarus, which could be used to carry conventional or nuclear missiles.
Putin said last month that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.
Russia used Belarus as a launching pad for its invasion last year and fears have remained high in Kiev and the West that it could be dragged further into the conflict by Moscow, with some warning of a false flag attack to justify Minsk involvement .
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with workers at a factory of Tulazheldormash, a manufacturer of railway machinery and equipment in Tula, Russia, April 4
Russia and Finland share an 800-mile border, and Moscow has already said it will reinforce military divisions stationed in the west and northwest.
Russia says one of the reasons it sent its forces to Ukraine in February 2022 was to counter a threat from what it said was Western plans to use Ukraine as a platform to threaten Russia.
It says it is now waging a “hybrid war” against NATO and the West, which is backing Ukraine with multibillion-dollar packages in arms and financial aid.
Ukraine, NATO and other Western allies say Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is an illegal act of aggression, nothing more than imperialist land grabbing to satisfy the Kremlin’s expansionist ambitions, and an attempt to wipe Ukraine off the map.
Even before Finland formally joined the alliance, its armed forces were moving closer to NATO and its members.
NATO surveillance flights by the US and other allied air forces have already begun to circulate in Finnish airspace, the Finnish Defense Forces said.
On March 24, air force commanders from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark said they had signed a letter of intent to create a unified Nordic air defense to counter the rising threat from Russia.
“We want to see if we can integrate our airspace surveillance more, so that we can use radar data from each other’s surveillance systems and use it together,” Major General Jan Dam, commander of the Danish air force, told Reuters.
Finns enjoying the spring sunshine in central Helsinki on Monday said they were happy that the NATO membership process would soon be completed, even if some expressed reservations.
“I may feel a bit confused about joining NATO because I am not the biggest fan of NATO, but at the same time I am even less of a fan of Russia,” said Henri Laukkanen, a 28-year-old finance assistant.
Finland and Sweden had said they wanted to join NATO “hand in hand” to maximize their mutual security, but that plan fell apart when Turkey refused to go ahead with the Stockholm bid.
Turkey says Stockholm harbors members of what Ankara considers terrorist groups – a charge Sweden denies – and has demanded their extradition as a step towards ratifying Sweden’s membership.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the media as he arrives for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, April 4
Hungary is also blocking Sweden’s admission, citing grievances over criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s democratic record.
But NATO diplomats say they expect Budapest to approve Sweden’s bid if it sees Turkey do so. They hope that Turkey will move after the presidential and parliamentary elections in May.
Stoltenberg said he is “absolutely confident” that Sweden will join NATO.
“It’s a priority for NATO, for me, to make sure this happens as soon as possible,” he said.