On the eve of joining NATO, Finland erects a fence on the border with Russia
This Thursday (30th) the Turkish parliament approved Finland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Turkey’s approval of the legislature was the final obstacle to Finland’s incorporation into the military alliance. All other 29 countries had already ratified the measure.
The measure is important precisely because of the war in Ukraine. When Russia invaded Ukrainian territory in 2022, President Vladimir Putin said the idea was to prevent NATO expansion.
With the accession of Finland, the border between the NATO countries and Russia was extended by about 1,300 kilometers, double the current length.
Finland still has to stick to bureaucracies
Finland has yet to finalize the protocols for formal NATO accession. At this stage, the country that will join must exchange letters with the United States.
situation in Sweden
Sweden, another country trying to join NATO, is having a harder time. Hungary and Turkey block entry.
Russia’s reaction
On March 16, Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russians were not a threat to Sweden or Finland.
“They have never threatened us. We are therefore not a threat to them and we can only regret their ambitions to join the military alliance,” he said.
The candidatures of Sweden and Finland are a direct consequence of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, which the Nordic countries took as an indication of a major threat to European security from Moscow.
Russia regards NATO’s expansion to its borders as a fundamental threat to its security. In this regard, Ukraine’s intention to join the alliance was one of the reasons given by Moscow to justify the invasion launched in February 2022.