Sweden joins Finland in applying for NATO membership, which receives a subdued response from Putin
“Russia has no problems with Finland and Sweden, and in this sense, expansion at the expense of these countries does not pose an immediate threat to us,” Putin said in television comments. “But the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory will certainly provoke our response.”
“What it will be, we will look at based on the threats that will be created for us. That is, problems are created out of thin air, “he said, accusing the United States of historic change in the Nordic nations. “We will respond accordingly.”
Putin spoke as Swedish Government on Monday announced that it would join neighboring Finland to launch a NATO bid, a process that alliance officials hope will be completed in the coming months. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said that a large majority in Sweden’s Riksdag supported joining NATO, which ended a decades-long position outside the 30-member bloc. – We leave an era behind us and go into a new one, Andersson says sa.
The prospects for membership for Finland and Sweden, which experts say are shifting their weight in military power, defy years of warnings from Moscow, where some senior officials, including former President Dmitry Medvedev, have suggested that Russia could respond by positioning nuclear weapons and hypersonic weapons along the Baltic Sea.
Putin’s more saturated response may reflect the reality of how the conflict in Ukraine has depleted Russia’s military while facing the prospect of lasting economic damage from global sanctions.
The Russian leader’s offensive seemed to secure a victory on Monday when Ukraine’s military leadership said it would end combat operations in the coastal city of Mariupol, where forces loyal to Kyiv have tried to hold back a protracted Russian attack and instead focus on evacuating the hundreds. of warriors who had protected themselves in a destroyed steelworks.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said more than 260 soldiers had been transported to Russian-controlled territory, including 53 who were “seriously injured” and taken to hospital. Moscow and Kyiv will mediate a prisoner exchange to secure their release, she said, and efforts are underway to rescue troops trapped inside the facility.
Finland’s decision to join NATO also marks the culmination of a gradual deepening of relations between Finland and NATO, said Mikko Hautala, Finland’s Ambassador to the United States, pointing to Finland’s status as an official NATO partner as part of the “Partnership for Peace” in 1990s. Finland, as Swedenhas long conducted joint exercises with NATO and sent troops to NATO-led missions in Afghanistan and other areas.
“Instead of seeing this as a kind of leap for a neutral country suddenly into NATO, it is rather a final step on a long road,” he said in an interview.
Western officials expect that the Nordic countries will provide an important security boost, especially in northern Europe, where the small and modestly defended Baltic nations have long worried that they could become Moscow’s next target.
Finland’s defense expenditure as a share of GDP is the largest in Europe, at 2.3 per cent. Finland has a formidable artillery force and buys 64 F-35 stealth planes.
Hautala said that Finland’s growing support for NATO membership was not driven by fear but by a sense that the country needed to acknowledge the changing realities of Europe in view of Russia’s willingness to use force against a neighboring state.
“We do not see any direct military threat from Russia right now. But there is a need to be careful here, he says. “Our goal is to prevent all speculation about our position, our security.”
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto’s call on Putin on Saturday to inform him of Finland’s decision was “without aggravation”, the Finnish government said.
When Sweden announced its own accession proposal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attacked both countries and went further than Putin by calling their move “another serious mistake with far-reaching consequences.”
“The general level of military tension will increase, and there will be less predictability in this area,” Ryabkov told a news conference.
The Swedish government said it would not bow to Russian coercion.
“As we see it, it is not their decision to make whether we agree or not. It is a sovereign Swedish decision,” said Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden’s ambassador to the United States, in an interview.
“They may try to influence us or scare us, which they have to some degree, but we are not deterred,” she said. “So we are prepared. We are strong. We have strengthened our security even in the short term.… We have seen this coming.”
At the same time, Olofsdotter said that there were no plans to deploy NATO forces in any of the Nordic countries.
“We join NATO. We go all in”, she said in an interview. – But there is no discussion about deploying troops in Sweden or Finland. We really take care of our own security as much as we can. ”
Hautala said Finland was prepared to do its part – potentially deploying forces elsewhere in Europe – if access to NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense guarantee was gained.
“We also realize that there is no free lunch, that … you also have to give your own support to other member states,” he said. “So if others need help, I think it is quite clear that Finland… will be there to help them. ”
Before securing NATO entry, the parties must address Turkey’s concerns, a member state that has raised concerns about relations with members of Turkey’s banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Hautala said he hopes “that we will get this clarified.”
Hautala, a fluent Russian speaker who served as the number 2 official at the Finnish Embassy in Moscow from 2011-2012 and then as ambassador from 2016-2020, said that he did not expect Russia to back away from its maximalist goals in Ukraine despite the military struggle there, which means a long and likely punitive conflict in the heart of Europe.
“I do not think there is any chance of that [Putin] would be happy to accept any solution before the war. “I do not think that the Russians have given up their basic goal, which is to control the whole of Ukraine,” says Hautala. “They can adjust their plans given the situation of resources and other risks. But I still think this war has deeper roots.”
Hautala’s observations stem not only from his diplomatic duties – he also served as Niinisito’s foreign policy adviser and have met with Putin repeatedly – but from more regular moments.
While serving in Moscow, Hautala’s son came home from his preschool in Moscow and greeted and marched in the Russian military style. The diplomat thought it was a bit curious.
When he found out that the children would celebrate Russia’s Victory Day on May 9 by dressing in the Red Army or contemporary military uniforms, he was more worried. He and his wife kept their son at home. That none of the other parents expressed concern that their 3-year-olds would participate in that type of show, he concluded, said something about Russian society.
After years of eroding trust in institutions, Hautala said, “most Russians want to believe in state propaganda and they want to feel proud of their military power.”
If the Russians seek redemption in the restoration of Moscow’s historic power, it could give Putin more room to pursue his goals in the war.
“Moscow has a long-cherished idea of Western decay and the emergence of a multipolar system in which Russia is one of the key players,” he said. “Taking control of Ukraine is [an] essential part of the story. “
Mary Ilyushina in Riga, Latvia; Annabelle Timsit in London; and Reis Thebault of Washington contributed to this report.