NATO brings Finland, Sweden on board for all Ukraine conflict discussions
STUTTGART, Germany – From now on, NATO will share all information concerning the ongoing war in Ukraine with close partners Sweden and Finland, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Friday.
“In response to Russia’s aggression, we have decided to strengthen our coordination and exchange of information with Finland and Sweden,” Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels, adding, “Both countries are now participating in all NATO consultations on the crisis.”
The review took place just before foreign ministers from NATO’s 30 member states met to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine, with leaders from Helsinki, Stockholm and the European Union in place.
Stoltenberg’s announcement comes as calls have increased for the two Nordic countries to formally join the alliance. Finland and Sweden are two of six Enhanced Opportunity Partners with NATO, representing the closest partnership a nation can have with the Alliance without being a member. The other four EOPs are Australia, Georgia, Jordan and Ukraine – the latter being selected in 2020.
Helsinki and Stockholm have been considered to be at a separate level within EOP. It is thanks to “the sophistication of their military, the stability of their democratic political system and their critical geography of the Baltic Sea that bridges NATO’s Nordic and Baltic countries”, wrote analysts Anna Wieslander and Christopher Skaluba in a March 3 report to the Atlantic Council.
The two nations have traditionally taken a fine line between praising their close relationship with NATO, while at the same time claiming that their citizens want to stay out of the alliance. But the report cites recent surveys which show that up to 53 percent of Finns now support joining NATO – compared with only 19 percent in support in 2017. At the same time, Swedes now support 41 percent to join the alliance, compared to 35 percent since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.
“Events on the ground in Ukraine are likely to dictate whether and how soon Sweden and Finland apply for NATO membership, and how easily the Alliance can accept them,” Wieslander and Skaluba wrote. “But with the contours of European security irrevocably changing since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the line of thought in both countries – especially Finland – is becoming clearer every day.”
Stoltenberg also said that NATO member countries are now considering a more long-term increase in their military presence along the eastern flank.
The Alliance has made a significant presence in countries including Poland, Romania and Estonia in response to Russian aggression against Ukraine, with over 130 fighter jets and over 200 ships deployed to protect the 1 billion citizens of its 30 member states from potential attacks. Added.
“We are now seriously considering increasing our presence, both in more troops, [and] with more air defense, ”he said. That discussion began on Friday during the Foreign Ministers’ meeting and will continue when NATO Defense Ministers meet on 16 March.
“We have some time – not much, but some time – to make the longer-term decision,” he said.
The alliance also wants to increase its support for Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, having determined that these two nations, like Ukraine, risk “even more intervention, subversion or even attack by the Russian armed forces,” Stoltenberg said. The “broad agreement” to increase support could include more joint activities and exercises, and scale up support for national defense and security institutions.
Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO is not pursuing a war with Russia and said that on Friday the foreign ministers rejected the idea of establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“Our core mission is to keep our 30 nations safe,” he said. “We are not part of this conflict, and we have a responsibility to ensure that it does not escalate and spread outside Ukraine. Because it would be even more devastating and dangerous.”
Vivienne Machi is a reporter based in Stuttgart, Germany, and contributes to Defense News’ European coverage. She has previously reported for National Defense Magazine, Defense Daily, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy and Dayton Daily News. In 2020, she was named the Defense Media Awards’ best young defense journalist.