The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to join NATO. Despite a fast-track procedure, it could still take some time before the two countries are in the alliance.
For decades they were neutral in the West-East structure: Sweden and Finland. But now the course is set to change course. Both Scandinavian countries now want to join the NATO military alliance.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced in Helsinki on Sunday that the country intends to apply for NATO membership. Niinistö and Marin spoke of a “historic day”. “A new era is beginning,” said the President.
Sweden also continued to head for a historic turnaround on the NATO issue on Sunday. The governing Social Democrats of Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson spoke out in favor of joining. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday in Stockholm that the country would apply to be included in the defense alliance.
Why do Sweden and Finland want to join NATO?
The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine is the main reason. Finland had been non-aligned for decades. For a long time, joining NATO was considered impossible – after all, the Finns didn’t want to alienate their neighbor Russia, with which they share a 1,300-kilometer border.
“Everything changed with Russia’s attack on Ukraine and I personally think we can no longer count on there being a peaceful future alongside Russia,” said Prime Minister Marin. We are dealing with a very different Russia than just a few months ago.
Swedish counterpart Andersson said 200 years of non-alignment had served Sweden well, but this was questionable for the future. “We are confronted with a fundamentally changed security environment in Europe,” said the politician. She added: “The fundamental question for us is how best to protect Sweden and the Kremlin has shown that it is ready to use violence to achieve its political goals (…)”. In addition, Sweden is reluctant to be the only country in Northern Europe that does not want to be in NATO. Neighbors Norway and Denmark are already NATO members.
What’s next in Sweden and Finland?
In both countries, the parliaments still have to agree. But that is considered safe. Debates started on Monday in Helsinki in Eduskunta and in Stockholm in Riksdag. According to the newspaper, more than two-thirds of Finnish parliamentarians are in favor of joining NATO. It was only on Saturday that Marin’s social democratic governing party, the SDP, spoke out in favor of the move.
A decision on the Swedish government’s application for membership was possibly still expected on Monday after the parliamentary debate. With the approval of the governing Social Democrats, a broad majority is emerging there. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday in Stockholm that the country would apply to be included in the defense alliance. “We are leaving one era and entering a new one.” Previously, almost all parties in Parliament had expressed their support for an application for membership. The Greens and the Left are against it. The two parties together have 43 of 349 seats in the Swedish Parliament.
If the parliaments agree, an official application for membership is made. The plan is to submit the application together in the coming days. However, both states have already worked closely with NATO in recent years and have consulted closely on the NATO issue.
How long would joining take?
NATO membership is open to “any other European state that is able to promote the principles of this treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area,” according to the . All 30 member states must agree to join. In NATO, however, efforts are being made to ensure that Sweden and Finland join quickly. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has signaled that there is broad support within the alliance. Nevertheless, the process could take up to a year, as reported.
Is something or someone standing in the way of Sweden and Finland joining NATO?
Turkey has raised concerns. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Nordic countries of granting refuge to Kurdish extremists. Ankara also criticized the fact that several countries had restricted the delivery of armaments to Turkey because of Turkey’s fight against these groups.
Finland’s President Niinistö was surprised by Erdogan’s statements on Sunday. He recently called the Turkish head of state and he assured him of Ankara’s support for an application for NATO membership. But he is ready for a further exchange with Erdogan to talk about the problems raised.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated his doubts in Berlin, but at the same time emphasized that Ankara had always supported NATO’s “open door” policy. Cavusoglu praised Finland for showing itself “very respectful” of Turkey’s “concerns”. On the other hand, he accused the Swedes of behaving “not constructively” but “provocatively”.
Stoltenberg was optimistic that Turkey’s concerns can be dispelled. Turkey has made it clear that it does not want to “block” the accession of the two countries. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also “very confident” that a consensus could be reached on Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership.
Are there guarantees to protect Sweden and Finland as long as they are not in NATO?
Yes. For example, last week Great Britain reached an agreement with the two countries that would provide aid to Sweden and Finland should they be attacked. During his visits to Sweden and Finland, Johnson called the statements “a step forward in defense and security cooperation.” “It says that in the event of a disaster or if one of us is attacked, we will come to each other’s aid, including with military assistance,” Johnson said at a press conference in Helsinki. Sweden has also received security guarantees from the USA for the period up to NATO accession, as reported. Denmark, Norway and Iceland also want to give security guarantees until accession, as Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a Monday press release.
How does Russia feel about Finland and Sweden joining NATO?
The Kremlin is not enthusiastic. “This is another serious mistake with far-reaching consequences,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday, according to Russian news agencies. Russia’s reaction will depend “on the practical consequences of the accession” of the two countries to NATO. “It is clear to us that the security of Sweden and Finland will not be strengthened by this decision,” stressed the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister. This would increase military tensions. “You should have no illusions that we’ll just put up with it.”
Finland’s departure from neutrality means a deterioration in the previously good neighborly relations. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin described Finland’s planned NATO membership as a mistake in a telephone conversation with Finland’s President Niiinistö on Saturday. According to the Kremlin, Putin emphasized during the talks that Russia does not pose a threat to the neighboring country. However, there were no direct threats during the conversation, emphasized Niinistö. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, Russia “definitely” views Finland’s NATO membership as a threat.
What would Sweden and Finland join NATO mean?
“Your membership in NATO would increase our common security and show that NATO’s door is open and that aggression does not pay off,” Secretary General Stoltenberg said on Sunday. However, accession would also mean that NATO’s borders with Russia would be extended. Most likely, Russia would strengthen its military on the border with Finland and expand activities there.
In the event of an attack on Sweden and/or Finland, it would take effect. This means that “an armed attack against one or more of them (members, editor’s note) in Europe or North America will be considered an attack against them all”. So if both countries are NATO members, the other member states will provide assistance in the event of an attack. This means that Sweden and Finland would also have security guarantees from nuclear powers such as the USA, Great Britain and France.
For NATO, joining would also mean having a larger military. This is the war strength of the approximately 280,000 soldiers. There are also around 900,000 reservists – with a population of around 5.5 million people. These include Leopard tanks, Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles and long-range surveillance radars.
Sweden has Gripen fighter jets, anti-aircraft vehicles, howitzers, corvettes, patrol ships and the Gotland submarine. 23,600 people are active in the . In all, there are just over 54,900 women and men in the armed forces. There are also conscripts who have served in the war who can be called up with the support of the Conscription Act.
Source: Stern
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