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After previously stating that Finland will be joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), on Tuesday Finland officially joined the intergovernmental alliance.Â
The move comes under the pretence of the Russia-Ukraine war which has had lasting implications on the geopolitical situation of the entire European continent.Â
The invasion and undermining of the sovereignty of Ukraine furthered a pre-existing insecurity that is present in the European states. The fear of further Russian invasions into Europe has allowed this fast-paced acceptance of Finland into NATO.
Finland’s blue cross on a white background flag was hoisted next to the alliance’s 30 member states in the military bloc’s Brussels headquarters as a band from the military played.
After 70 Years Finland Joins NATO
The acceptance of Finland into NATO also ended almost 70 years worth of military non-alignment. It also doubles the actual length of the border the NATO shares with Russia and helps its eastern side as the russo-ukraine war continues with no peaceful resolution in sight.
Jens Stolenberg, the Alliance’s chief had earlier mentioned that Sweden would also join soon and that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin had accomplished exactly what he wished not to accomplish with this war in Ukraine. He said that this aggression triggered Finland into joining NATO in the first place.
Finnish President Saul Niinsto mentioned that Finland’s biggest contribution to NATO will be to defend its own territory, considering its geopolitical and strategic positioning.
Moscow Reaction
Moscow on the other hand was quite upset at this development. The Kremlin said that Russia would have no other choice but to take ‘countermeasures’. The Defence Minister mentioned that Finland’s integration into NATO raises the risk of the Russo-Ukraine war being further escalated.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that by dropping its policy of non-alignment, Finland was engaging in a dangerous and historical mistake that would only make relations with Moscow worse and ruin its previous status as a presence in the Baltic Sea.
The ministry also said that Finland has now lost its special voice that it had once in International affairs. As by now being a part of NATO it is just a small voice in a room full of giant ones. The ministry remarked that they were sure that this step will be judged as a hasty one in the future.
Russia also said on 3rd March 2024 that it will strengthen its military strength in the west and northwest parts of the country as a response to this new addition to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Ukraine congratulated Finland and in his evening address Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that collective and preventive guarantees are the only thing Russia aggression has proven to be reliable.
Finland’s earlier era of non-alignment had started after it repelled an attack from the Soviet Union during the second world war. The two countries had fairly friendly relations after the incident. The sole reason for the change in Finnish foreign policy has been the war in Ukraine. The collective security assured to all members of the alliance under article 5 is a way for the Finns to seek security in the highly volatile region.
