Finland took the plunge and on Tuesday, April 4, became the 31st member of NATO, the Western military alliance created in 1949 to counter the Soviet threat. This strategic choice, which breaks with the Nordic country's tradition of neutrality, is motivated by the fear of Russian aggression in the middle of the war in Ukraine.
Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022, a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine, causing an unprecedented security and diplomatic crisis in Europe. The country shares a border of more than 1,300 km with Russia and has experienced two wars with its powerful neighbor in the 20th century.
Finland's accession process was the fastest in NATO's recent history, according to the organization's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, who welcomed the arrival of a "strong and capable ally. The Finnish flag was raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels in a solemn ceremony attended by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and representatives of the other 30 member countries.
Finland's decision was strongly denounced by Russia, which considers NATO enlargement as an "attack on its security" and has promised "countermeasures". The Kremlin accused NATO of "provoking a new arms race" and "threatening stability in Europe. Russia has also increased its military presence in the region, including the deployment of Iskander missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Finland is not the only Nordic country to have applied for NATO membership. Sweden, which also has a long history of neutrality, made the same request in May 2022, but its process is still blocked by Turkey, which has yet to give the green light. Sweden is already highly integrated into NATO with guest status and participates in several alliance military operations and exercises.
Relations between Turkey and Sweden have been strained recently due to major differences between the two countries. Turkey accuses Sweden of harboring Turkish citizens it considers "terrorists," including alleged members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and those involved in the 2016 coup attempt. It demands their extradition to Turkey, but Sweden refuses, arguing that this falls within the jurisdiction of its courts. The two countries have been in talks to reach a compromise, but Turkey has been angered by anti-Turkish protests in Sweden, including an action by a pro-Kurdish group that hung an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outside Stockholm City Hall in January 2023. Turkey is also using its veto of Sweden's NATO membership as leverage to gain concessions from the European Union, of which Sweden is a member. Among other things, Turkey wants to restart negotiations on its EU membership and get more financial aid to take in Syrian refugees.
The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is a historic turning point for Northern Europe, which has felt threatened by Russia since its intervention in Ukraine. NATO hopes to strengthen its collective defense and credibility against Moscow, which continues to defy international norms and the rule of law.
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