Posted May 29
Several NATO countries have indicated to Finland (which is not a member of the organization, but wishes to become one) that they would intervene militarily if Russia attacked it. However, the pretext given by NATO for not intervening in Ukraine is that the country is not a member.
D. Deschamps
According to article 5 of the charter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), if one of the members of this alliance is attacked, the others will defend it.
Finland and Sweden, which recently applied for NATO membership, of course wish to benefit from this protection. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the unpredictability of Vladimir Putin are not reassuring for the leaders as for the citizens of the two Nordic countries.
“The process they have started should take a few months before the two countries are recognized as members,” explains Michel Fortmann, honorary professor in the political science department of the University of Montreal.
In the meantime, some NATO countries have indeed promised to protect the two future members in the event of aggression. On the other hand, “it is a rather symbolic commitment, insofar as no one expects Russia to attack one of the two countries soon”, underlines the expert, who is also a researcher at the Center for and international research.
Ukraine is obviously not in the same situation. In his case, it is too late, Russia has already attacked. A NATO intervention, under the circumstances, would mean declaring war on Vladimir Putin’s regime.
And that, within NATO member nations, is something we try to avoid at all costs. Above all because a Third World War is not on the agenda of any of these countries and the threat of the use of nuclear weapons by the Russian regime is not to be taken the slight.