Finland terminated over 70 years of military neutrality on Tuesday by joining NATO, thereby significantly expanding the alliance’s border with Russia. The move dealt a major blow to Russian President Putin, who has been accused of escalating the risk of a significant conflict by the Russian defense minister, Sergei Shoigu.
Shoigu, in a meeting with the country’s armed forces leaders, asserted that Russia was taking retaliatory measures to defend the security of the union state. Residents of St Petersburg, in close proximity to the Finnish border, deemed the decision to join NATO as “unfriendly,” anticipating potential losses. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, present in Brussels during the signing of the membership agreement, sarcastically remarked that he could “thank Putin” for the expansion of the alliance.
Shoigu, addressing top Russian military officials, expressed concern over NATO’s actions, stating, “NATO is taking a range of steps to increase the combat-readiness of the joint armed forces.” He warned of the risk of significant escalation but affirmed that it would not impact the outcome of the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
In response to Finland’s NATO accession, Shoigu disclosed retaliatory measures, including providing Belarusian ground attack aircraft with the capability to strike targets with nuclear weapons and supplying Belarusian Armed Forces with Iksander M operational-tactical missile systems, capable of using both conventional and nuclear missiles.
Shoigu criticized NATO’s “anti-Russian policy” and warned that further military support to Ukraine would lead to an escalation of the war. The decision by Finland to seek NATO membership, made just months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was driven by the increased expansionist threat posed by Russia under Putin.
Finland’s unanimous support for joining the alliance, evident in the absence of any debate during recent elections, underscored the gravity of the situation and the urgency perceived by the nation. US officials, including President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, acknowledged Putin’s role in Finland’s decision, with Blinken even suggesting that Putin unintentionally prompted countries to enhance their defense capabilities in response to Russia’s aggression.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg labeled Putin’s actions as responsible for Finland’s “historic” decision, asserting that the nation now had the strongest friends and allies globally. Stoltenberg emphasized that Putin’s attempt to prevent NATO expansion had failed, highlighting that aggression and intimidation were ineffective.
While the nature of Russia’s promised “retaliation” remains unclear, threats of this kind, made consistently since the invasion of Ukraine, have yet to materialize. Putin’s miscalculation in waging a war ostensibly against NATO “encroachment” has, ironically, resulted in a neutral state aligning with the alliance, effectively doubling Russia’s exposure and showcasing the frustration felt by Putin at the unintended consequences of his actions.
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More garbage from the Express, NATO is so desperate it will allow any country to join. Britain and the EU will be forced to send troops to “defend” Finland from a non existent threat thereby weakening their own defences, how smart is that? What the Express will not tell you is how fragmented NATO is, and the fact is that Finland was coerced into joining NATO by the worlds number one bully, the USA, or else. The former Soviet Union was by far more powerful than Russia is today, yet Finland and Sweden did not see any reason to join NATO during the cold war, the facts speak for themselves.