After three decades of military non-alignment, Finland joined NATO on Tuesday, a strategic turning point prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It is of course a great day for Finland […] It is also a good thing for NATO,” said Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen.
But for Moscow it is above all a “further aggravation of the situation”, according to the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitr Peskov. “NATO enlargement is an attack on our security and our national interests,” he told reporters, adding without further detail that Russia was being forced to “take countermeasures” .
In a ceremony laden with symbols, the Nordic country, which shares a 1,300 kilometer long border with Russia, will become the 31st member of the Alliance, on the anniversary of its creation, April 4, 1949.
After the delivery of the membership documents to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, guardian of the organization’s founding treaty, the Finnish flag will be hoisted in the main courtyard of the organization’s headquarters in Brussels at 3:30 p.m. between those of Estonia and France, in alphabetical order.
“Finland is now safe,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on his arrival.
“Together, the NATO Allies represent 50% of the world’s military power. So as long as we stand united, protect each other and do so credibly, there will be no military attack on a NATO ally,” he explained.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia upset security in Europe and reshuffled the cards, pushing Finland and Sweden to want to join the protective umbrella of NATO.
By joining NATO, Finland, which was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939, doubles the length of the border with Russia of the US-led alliance.
She gets the protection of Article 5, the Collective Defense Pledge that an attack on one member “shall be considered an attack on all members.”
Objections from Turkey and Hungary have delayed Helsinki’s membership for months, and are still blocking Stockholm’s.
“I am absolutely confident that Sweden will also become a member. It is, for NATO, for me, a priority to ensure that this will happen as quickly as possible”, assured Jens Stoltenberg.
“Sweden is ready to join NATO,” said the head of American diplomacy Anthony Blinken.
The aim is to obtain ratifications from Turkey and Hungary before the NATO summit organized in Vilnius in July. Chance of the alphabetical order, the colors of Sweden would then be hoisted between those of Spain and Turkey.
“Ukraine will become a member”
The accessions of these two Nordic countries are the demonstration that “the door of NATO remains open”, hammered Jens Stoltenberg.
“NATO’s position remains unchanged: Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance,” he continued.
However, he immediately added, “the main objective for the time being is its survival as a sovereign and independent country, otherwise to speak of membership makes no sense”.
NATO foreign ministers will meet with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and will discuss “long-term support” for Kyiv.
A meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission was organized for this purpose, despite the objections of Hungary.
During the night from Monday to Tuesday, Russian drones hit the Ukrainian port of Odessa, on the Black Sea, causing material damage, according to the authorities.
The ministers are also due to meet with their Japanese counterpart to discuss the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and the challenges posed by China and “its alignment with Russia”.
“To meet all these challenges, it is essential that we invest more in defence,” insisted Jens Stoltenberg.
“I expect the allies to commit at the Vilnius summit to a new ambitious investment promise, with 2% of their GDP as a floor and no longer as a ceiling”.