By Mohamad Hojeije | Staff Writer
In a historic move, Finland has finally ended its era of military-nonalignment and political neutrality to align with the U.S. by joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO.) Finland has provided much-needed strategic opportunities for NATO and the U.S. The country, now the 31st member, doubled NATO’s border with Russia, leaving Kremlin officials uneasy.
This means that as of April 5th, 2023, Finland is protected by an iron-clad security guarantee. Invoking the 5th article of NATO, in the event that Finland was invaded or attacked, all NATO members, especially the U.S., would come to its aid. Likewise, Finland should aid those NATO member countries that have been attacked.
It is very clear that Finland’s decision – and soon Sweden, another country awaiting to join the military organization – was shaped by the Russian occupation in Ukraine. Prior to the invasion, most Finns seemed to be completely in favor of leaving Finland out of NATO, but as the war continued, many began shifting their support. At the moment Finland joined, more than 80% of Finns was in favor of an alliance with NATO. However, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto stated that Finland’s purpose would be to make the world a safer place and that it would not be used to threaten other countries, perhaps nodding to their still recent past of political neutrality.
While it is unlikely that Moscow-Helsinki conflicts would arise, the relationship between the two countries has completely changed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia will be “watching closely” what is happening in Finland, referring to NATO’s expansion as a “violation of our security and our national interests.”
The Kremlin further responded by claiming such movements are forcing Russia to seek countermeasures. On Tuesday, Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defense Minister, announced that Belarus had received Russia’s short-range Iskander-M ballistic missile system, and it was equipped to transport both conventional and nuclear weapons. He also mentioned that some Belarussian fighter jets had the capacity to carry nuclear arms as well.
As the war unfolds, political maneuverings become increasingly delicate. The Kremlin has overall indicated it would escalate the situation in Ukraine, but that remains to be seen.