NATO

Finland and Sweden's NATO accession will fill an existing gap – a 'blind spot' – in the organisation's defence planning for its eastern territory.

As a result, the military balance of power in the Baltic region has shifted (even more) in favour of NATO. In Copenhagen, Stockholm and especially Helsinki, the first contours of a new European security order are taking shape – precisely where, in 1975, the signing of the CSCE (Helsinki) Final Act constituted a milestone on the way to a cooperative and indivisible peace and security architecture for the continent. Formerly neutral spaces in Europe are dwindling and with it the possibility of negotiations and mediation. As a result of the war in Ukraine, Europe again faces a split into two blocks. Overall, the defence of the area has been simplified, with the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania emerging as the biggest winners. A quick glance at the map is enough to show how far-reaching the changes brought about by the Finnish and Swedish NATO accession will be for military strategic tectonics in north-eastern Europe. [Copernican revolution‘](https://www.ispionline.it/it/pubblicazione/lallargamento-della-nato-prospettive-sullingresso-di-svezia-e-finlandia-35388) in foreign and defence policy for both Finland and Sweden. And third, Finland’s NATO accession will bring St Petersburg to the forefront of military planning. For Lithuania, in particular, the successful completion of the dual accession by July 2023 now represents an important foreign policy goal as it will host the next summit of the NATO heads of state and government. The three Baltic states lie wedged between Belarus in the southeast and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in the west. In the case of a conflict, this corridor could be seized by enemy troops and the Baltic states would be cut off from other NATO allies. The forces of these three EU and NATO members would be overwhelmed.

On this historic day as we mark the 74th anniversary of NATO, we also welcome Finland as NATO's 31st Ally. Finland is stronger and safer within the Alliance, ...

Yet Putin has only himself to blame for this most significant enlargement of the Western alliance in some time. Before Putin invaded Ukraine last year, barely ...

Of course, the sudden doubling of Nato’s borders with Russia as Finland takes its seat in the North Atlantic Council will give Nato a considerable extra security burden. Yet Putin knows that even if he has threatened unspecified retaliation measures against Helsinki, taking thousands of troops away from Ukraine to put them on the Finnish border will not help him to prevail against Kyiv. Finland’s membership of Nato will benefit both sides. Yet in annexing Crimea in 2014, and now seeking to annex more areas of Ukraine’s territory, Putin has made clear that all borders that are once part of the Czarist or Soviet system are open to revision. First, Finnish security policy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 has rested on the assumption that Russia would accept the borders and new system of states that emerged from that collapse. The date is significant – 4 April – which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Nato treaty 74 years ago.

Finland has officially joined NATO, doubling alliance's border with Russia in major blow to Putin.

- Business2 days ago - World2 days ago Referencing the 2020 election result, he mentioned President Joe Biden and claimed the U.S. And it’s say it’s a win win situation it’s good for NATO also. - Insight1 day ago Finnish defence minister, Antti Kaikkonen said, “it is a big day for Finland.

The Nordic country officially joined the world's biggest military alliance on Tuesday in a historic realignment of Europe's defences spurred by Vladimir ...

Marcin Przydacz, the head of Polish President Andrzej Duda's foreign policy office, described it as Zelensky's first visit of this kind since the war began. In October 2022, Norwegian reports said that Russia had also deployed bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons to Kola Peninsula. This was the guarantee Finnish leaders decided they needed as they watched Putin's devastating assault on Ukraine. in tactical and strategic terms,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. In October 2022, Norwegian reports said Russia had deployed bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons to Kola Peninsula. Putin, he said, had 'wanted to slam NATO's door shut. How world's biggest military alliance has grown since 1949 - and is now doubling its border with Russia ](/news/explainer/article-11936499/What-NATO-Finland-joining-worlds-biggest-military-alliance-grown-1949.html) Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with workers as he visits the Tulazheldormash plant, a Russian leading machine-building enterprise, in Tula on April 4 Pictured: The Finnish flag is raised outside NATO HQ on Tuesday Joining NATO is significant both symbolically and strategically. 'If Finland joins NATO, we will see an enemy.' From a military point of view, it would allow NATO to reinforce the Baltic states (NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) from the north in the case of a Russian invasion.

“In a contested and dangerous world, we cannot take security for granted,” said Mr Stoltenberg at the opening of a meeting of Nato foreign affairs ministers at ...

“We need to deliver more,” said Mr Reinsalu. Estonia is committed to spending 3 per cent of its GDP on defence. [Finland ](https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2023/04/04/biden-praises-finlands-nato-accession-as-fastest-in-modern-history/)exceeds that figure. [in Lithuania in July, ](https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2023/04/03/us-ambassador-to-nato-hopes-sweden-will-join-alliance-before-july/)during which Mr Stoltenberg hopes that allies will increase their defence pledges. [a flag-raising ceremony ](https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2023/04/04/finland-joins-nato/)on Tuesday to accept Finland into the alliance. [Jens Stoltenberg](https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2023/01/29/natos-jens-stoltenberg-arrives-in-south-korea-to-deepen-ties-in-asia/) on Wednesday called on the alliance’s 31 members to increase their defence investment pledges above the target of 2 per cent of GDP.

Finland joined the NATO and become the 31st member of the military alliance yesterday. Finland's membership became official when its foreign minister handed ...

He alleged that the structure of NATO is hostile towards Russia. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership. Finland joined the NATO and become the 31st member of the military alliance yesterday.

As Finland's flag was hoisted at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, officially marking its entry to the military alliance, it was a bittersweet moment for Kyiv. Ukraine has repeatedly stated its desire to be a part of NATO. Membership for the war-torn ...

Before the invasion, back in January 2022, NATO's Stoltenberg told the BBC: "We have no plans to deploy NATO combat troops to Ukraine ... This was despite several decades of see-sawing between aspirations to join NATO and veering away from it — largely depending on the pro-Russian or pro-Western leanings of Ukraine's leaders at the time. Analysts agree Russia's military power and weaponry, despite its large army, pales in comparison with the advance military hardware and highly trained troops of NATO members, let alone the power this represents when those forces are combined. NATO has proved itself a friend and ally of Ukraine over the past year but for now, Kyiv remains outside the alliance, looking in. If that tenet, enshrined in Article 5, is invoked then all members are bound to come to the defense of that member country. The Kremlin warned Tuesday it would take "countermeasures to ensure our own security both tactically and strategically."

As Finland joined NATO this week, casting aside a history of military nonalignment, a small but noisy group of Ukraine supporters outside the security fence ...

Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on Tuesday and became its 31st member. The country's bid to join the military alliance came ...

A historian looks at the steps leading up to Finland joining the Western strategic alliance – and what that means for small nations elsewhere.

Even Finland has abandoned it; neutral Sweden is now anxious to join the Western alliance; and other states, even Switzerland, are questioning the efficacy of nonalignment in a polarized world. [swung between a pro-Russian orientation](https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-follows-decades-of-warnings-that-nato-expansion-into-eastern-europe-could-provoke-russia-177999) favored in eastern Ukraine, and a more Ukrainian nationalist identity powerfully evident in western Ukraine. [rules-based order](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/what-does-rules-based-order-mean)” that the United States and its NATO allies have touted as the best way to run the world is changing – attracting some, yet more suspicious in the eyes of [nations not privy](https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-united-states-china-and-the-new-non-aligned-countries/) to club membership. And the European Union offered Ukraine closer economic and political ties, stirring up fears in Moscow that this was the first step toward NATO. And federalism, which would have required that some decision-making be handed to regional governments, was considered suspect as a viable form of statehood by many in Ukraine and Russia alike. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago, decision-makers in Helsinki have seemingly driven the final nails into the coffin of Finlandization. For centuries it has had to consider its own interests in conjunction with – and in accommodation of – those of its gigantic neighbor: czarist Russia, then the Soviet Union and today Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Similarly, even before the invasion last year, Russia was a problem for Ukraine, with authorities in Kyiv fearing dominance from the East. The price for maintaining its democratic state and capitalist economy in domestic affairs during the Cold War was Finlandization. It underscores just how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has [upset global realities](https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-has-exposed-the-folly-and-unintended-consequences-of-armed-missionaries-197609) long thought settled, at least by the Western powers. and the West over global affairs and seek a system in which [power is distributed regionally](https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-has-exposed-the-folly-and-unintended-consequences-of-armed-missionaries-197609), with Moscow and Beijing holding sway over what they they see as their parts of the world. In the world of geopolitics, great powers make, break and play by their own rules.

Finland has joined the NATO military alliance, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end -– a new era begins,” President Sauli Niinistö said before his country’s blue-and-white flag was raised outside NATO headquarters. The Nordic country’s membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. Watch the full event in the player above.

Finnish membership creates 'additional threat' for Russian Federation, says Kremlin spokesman - Anadolu Agency.

[Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Therefore, we would not like to comment on this," Peskov said. In addition, of course, there is a common concern about security issues in connection with a very, very hostile environment for us. But everything that is necessary to ensure our security will be done," Peskov said. "Apparently, Alexander Grigoryevich (Lukashenko) himself will consider it necessary to give clarifications on this matter. We have a common step-by-step program of action, we have allied programs. "We do not consider ourselves entitled to somehow interfere in the internal affairs of the US and believe that the US has no right to interfere in our affairs. “This is a conversation in the context of preparations for tomorrow's (Thursday's) meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State. "We do not see any prospects for this yet, so there is nothing to add here," Peskov said, in response to a question on the possibility of talks. "This is certainly an event that does not contribute to strengthening stability, security and predictability on the European continent," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a press briefing. Peskov also said Helsinki’s membership creates “an additional threat for the Russian Federation,” noting: “This obliges us to take the necessary measures to rebalance the security system." The Kremlin on Wednesday said Finland’s membership to NATO does not strengthen the stability and security of Europe.

What has pushed Finland to give up its neutrality, what were its relations with Russia before this, and what is the move likely to mean for NATO, Russia, ...

Finland has become one of the small members of (NATO) that doesn’t decide anything, losing its special voice in international affairs. Even after the Soviet Union collapsed and Finland built closer ties with the West, it stayed out of NATO, which would have been a definite provocation to Russia. Russia has said, as reported by Reuters, that Finland has committed “a dangerous historical mistake that would fray relations with Moscow and undo its status as a confidence-building presence in the Baltic Sea and Europe at large”. NATO was set up after World War II with the express purpose of containing the Soviet Union. This system was put in place after the Winter War of 1939-40. Finland and its neighbour Sweden applied for NATO membership soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Türkiye, NATO member for 71 years, has always supported alliance's open door policy, NATO enlargement - Anadolu Agency.

[Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. In June, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum with Türkiye to address Ankara’s security concerns, and senior diplomats and officials from the three countries held various meetings to discuss the implementation of a trilateral agreement. NATO's "open door policy" is based on Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, which states that membership is open to any "European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area."

NATO foreign ministers wrapped up two days of discussions in Brussels on Wednesday (5 April 2023) with a meeting with Indo-Pacific partners – Australia, ...

“We agreed to start work on developing a strategic multi-year assistance programme for Ukraine – a clear demonstration that our support will continue for the long-haul,” he said. Earlier, Allied foreign ministers addressed threats and challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, including instability, terrorism and the growing activities of Russia and China. “We discussed the global consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

It would be 'historic mistake with profound implications' if China provided lethal aid to Russia, says Jens Stoltenberg - Anadolu Agency.

[Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Stoltenberg said he invited the heads of state and government of the Asia-Pacific region to participate at the NATO leaders’ summit in July in Vilnius, Lithuania. Speaking at a news conference after a two-day meeting of NATO foreign affairs ministers, Stoltenberg said “any provision of lethal aid by China to Russia would be a historic mistake with profound implications.”

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday China was sustaining Russia's economy in the face of Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, as the alliance.

“China refuses to condemn Russia’s aggression. It echoes Russian propaganda. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday China was sustaining Russia’s economy in the face of Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, as the alliance frets over closer Beijing-Moscow ties.

For Finland, formally joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the world's largest military alliance, which states that an attack on one member is an ...

Yet it has nearly doubled the number of its members over the past more than 30 years to serve the hegemonic objectives of the United States. Finland, a relatively small Nordic country of 5.5 million people, clearly feels it needs shoulders to lean on as the situation in Europe has become increasingly volatile and uncertain. This obviously does not augur well for the security of Finland as well as Europe at large. The argument that it is solely a defensive alliance and it is not a threat to any country was already disproved by its military interventions in Serbia in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001 and Libya in 2011. Yet whether its accession to NATO actually makes Finland more secure is questionable. As a product of the Cold War, NATO should have been consigned to history books with the end of the Cold War and the disbandment of the Warsaw Pact.

Anchorage, AK – Today, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Angus King (I-ME), co-chairs of the Arctic Caucus, celebrated Finland's accession into the North ...

NATO’s capabilities are only growing stronger thanks to the growing participation of our Arctic partners. Finland officially joining NATO today is a powerful reminder that America and our allies are united in defense of democracy, peace, and freedom,” said Senator King. “While Russia continues its attack on Ukraine and attempts to disrupt global order, the other Arctic nations are united in pursuing a future of peace and stability for both the region and our allies.

The ministers of foreign affairs of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance supported the development of a multi-year support program for Ukraine,

“We will develop a multi-year initiative to support Ukraine, which will help ensure the conditions of Ukraine’s defense, transition from Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to NATO standards, and increase operational interoperability with NATO,” he said. The ministers of foreign affairs of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance supported the development of a multi-year support program for Ukraine, which will help it to get closer to NATO. NATO supported the creation of a multi-year support program for Ukraine

Speaking to POLITICO, James Cleverly acknowledged NATO's pledge to admit Ukraine, but said the current priority should be on the war.

A number of allies on the eastern flank, however, want to bring Ukraine closer to the alliance now — an attempt to publicly signal that Ukraine will definitely join the alliance once hostilities end. “Obviously, there is long-standing commitments to providing Ukraine with a path to NATO membership,” he said following a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels. In an interview with POLITICO, Cleverly acknowledged NATO’s commitment — made during a 2008 summit in Bucharest — that Ukraine will ultimately join the alliance. The question was also top of mind as foreign ministers met in Brussels this week. The U.K. Capitals such as London and Washington want a strong focus on immediate, practical assistance to Kyiv and to leave bigger political questions for later.

Finland just joined NATO. Sweden is waiting in the wings. Will this beefed-up security alliance — a direct result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine — be ...

Josef Joffe argues that the Alliance was never as sclerotic as even many Western leaders presumed in recent years.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand Nanaia ...

Brussels – Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday he welcomes the increased involvement of NATO member states in the Indo-Pacific region, ...

Why would these two countries throng into an alliance that French President Emmanuel Macron diagnosed as being 'brain dead' only four years ago, and which ...

The additional funding includes the NATO membership fee of just over SEK 300 million (€26 million) and the costs of adapting various command and control systems ...

This week marks the 74th anniversary of the founding of NATO. In this talk, Lotta Angantyr explains the real role and history of this tool of Western ...