Finland Joins NATO as 31st Ally, Dealing a Blow to Russia
Photo by Kenny Ng from Flickr.com
On April 4, Finland became the 31st nation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending their decades-old stance of neutrality and intensifying their tension with Russia.
Finland raced to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. It wasn’t until May of 2022 that Finland applied for NATO membership.
President Joe Biden pointed out how this was the fastest ratification NATO has done in our modern history, as reported by NPR.
"When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO,” said Biden. “He was wrong. Today, we are more united than ever."
Finland joining NATO has boosted the world’s largest security alliance. According to a Wilson Center analysis Finland’s artillery is more than equipped and prepared, the best among the European NATO members.
Notably, Finland offers NATO their 832 mile long shared border with Russia, doubling the length of member states’ border with Russia. This dealt a strategic blow to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.
The day of the ratification, Russia responded immediately. Reuters reported that Russia plans to bolster their defense since Finland has joined NATO.
"In these conditions, the air defense forces are working out issues of protecting the state border in the north-west of the country in accordance with the increased threat level,” said Lt. General Andrei Demin, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Aerospace Forces for Russia in a statement.
The spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry S. Peskov said the move “forces us to take countermeasures in tactical and strategic terms,” and added that Finland joining NATO is seen as an “assault,” to Russia’s security and national interests.
Sweden also applied to become a NATO member, but was denied by Hungary and Turkey. Turkey has accused Sweden of “harboring Kurdish separatist whom it regards as terrorists,” per NPR.
As noted by Emma Ashford from the Stimson Center, this poses an issue for the military operations of Sweden and Finland, considering their history of defense cooperation.
"It's going to add technical challenges as NATO's defense planners try and bring Finland into all of the alliance's strategic planning,” said Ashford. “They have to basically accept that Sweden is outside and Finland is inside for right now. Finnish leaders obviously felt that it was better to be inside the alliance and reduce that sort of risk of this limbo period even if Sweden weren't there. But it's hardly an ideal circumstance.”
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and President Biden have both spoken out about this rejection, urging Turkey and Hungary to accept Sweden into NATO. President Niinistö commented that Finland’s acceptance into the military alliance isn’t complete until Sweden also obtains a spot.
“The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end -– a new era begins,” President Niinisto said before Finland’s flag was raised at the NATO headquarters.