All Rights Reserved. Russia threatens 'retaliatory steps' if Finland joins NATO - CNBC RFE/RL: Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer land border with Russia. Finland and its neighbour Sweden applied together last year to join NATO, but Sweden's application has been held up by NATO members Turkey and Hungary. But the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted Finns to seek security under NATO's collective defence pact, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. Russian president tells Finnish counterpart the move would be an error and negatively affect ties. But after the Ukraine war, they might build some new garrison areas and bases closer to the Finnish border, but it's not that easy. Read about our approach to external linking. Between Russia, Sweden, and NATO: Finland's defence of "sovereignty Finland was a constituent part of the Swedish Empire for centuries and had its earliest interactions with the Russian Empire through the auspices of that rule. "Almost no one thinks it would [now] be time to apply as a member state.". As such, the necessities brought about by geography and the effort to avoid escalation will be the core of Finlands relationship with Russia. They can fly over Finnish airspace. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Trevelyan relative 'would consider' famine payment, Four dead after suspected pigeon racer dispute, Adidas sued by investors over Kanye West deal, Suspected IS chief killed in Syria, Turkey says, UK chip giant Arm files for blockbuster share sale. Since the end of the Cold War three decades ago, Moscow has watched successive waves of NATO enlargement, and the issue was contentious even before the invasion of Ukraine. Researchers and academics are coming forward with allegations that research on Russia has been curbed, either directly or indirectly, so that researchers have had to sensor themselves on the negative trends and features of Russia. How could Russia react to Finland, Sweden joining NATO - CNBC Finland's accession, ending seven decades of military non-alignment, roughly doubles the length of the border the North Atlantic Treaty Organization shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight. U.S. Marines participate in a military exercise called Cold Response 2022, gathering around 30,000 troops from NATO member countries, plus Finland and Sweden, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, near Bjerkvik in the Arctic Circle in Norway on March 24. Europe can't decide if it wants to punish ordinary Russians for Putin's war. Toveri: It's not a security guarantee. And now it's maybe half of that and still going down. Niinist said he had already told Putin at their first meeting in 2012 that each independent nation would maximise its own security. The Path To NATO Population migration from other parts of Russia to Finland was de facto prohibited until early 1900's. Faloon, Brian S. "The Dimensions of Independence: The Case of Finland. Finland to Close Russian Border Amid Travel Spike From Putin - Newsweek Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstroem told reporters it was Stockholm's ambition to become a member at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. Correction: This story has been amended to reflect that Finland was not a NATO member at time of publication. As of February 24th, Finland's Russia policy is radically shifting and is tied to the war in Ukraine. But Russian energy is a very small part of Finnish energy consumption. Russia Won't Sit Idly by after Finland and Sweden Join NATO Russia has a couple of 100 kilometers of shoreline in the Baltic Sea, which is 98 percent surrounded by NATO countries. All rights reserved. Russian President Vladimir Putin is travelling to Finland at a symbolic time: the country is celebrating its 100th year of independence from Russia. The planned border fence will stretch for a distance of 130 to 260 kilometers (80 to 161 miles) only part of the 830-mile-long border it shares with Russia and will come with accompanying surveillance equipment and a patrol road as well. So it would be a very big risk for Russia to try something like that. RFE/RL: The U.K. has said it would "provide support" if Finland and Sweden were attacked. Senior border guard officer Juho Pellinen walks along a fence marking the boundary area between Finland and Russia near the border crossing of Pelkola, in Imatra, Finland on November 18, 2022. vladimir putin olaf scholz crisis ucrania lkl xavier colas_00011504.png. Finland's Changing Security But again, that's where the assurances given by some of the NATO countries are important because NATO has an overwhelming maritime force in the Baltic Sea. World Food Programme lifts suspension of operations in Sudan, King Charles' coronation to feature historic chairs, Australia to reveal huge budget rebound, pledge restraint in response, Head of Mexican migration authority charged over deadly Juarez fire. And that means we still need the conscription system, for sure -- even as a NATO member, the responsibility to defend Finland lies 99 percent with the Finns. Will Finland and Sweden Join NATO? - Foreign Policy Russia with which Finland, an EU member since 1995, shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border has threatened to punish the country if it joins NATO. HELSINKI (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin warned his Finnish counterpart Saturday that relations between the two neighbors could be "negatively affected" if Finland follows through with plans to apply for NATO membership. Finland Prepared for Worst, But Sees No Immediate Russian Threat to Its All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. It closed its border to Russia at the end of September, around the time traffic over the Finland-Russia land frontier intensified as Russians tried to flee Vladimir Putins partial mobilization of hundreds of thousands of citizens to fight in the war. The decision now lies with the parliaments of NATO countries, which need to ratify Finland's application. Toveri: The thing is that 90 percent of that border is wilderness, it's just forestno road, no network, no anything. But in 1809 Finland was ceded to Russia, and in 1812 the Russian tsar Alexander I moved the capital of the grand duchy of Finland from Turku (bo) to Helsinki. They Don't Have Anything', It's all [Putin's] fault. We had a balance [of power] in this area, and it was Putin who decided to change that balance. Relations with Russia are cordial and common issues include bureaucracy (particularly at the Vaalimaa border crossing), airspace violations, development aid Finland gives to Russia (especially in environmental problems that affect Finland), and Finland's energy dependency on Russian gas and electricity. - Finland's long-ruling President Urho Kekkonen, in office between 1956 and 1982, focused on maintaining friendly and close relations with Moscow in order to preserve independence by avoiding conflict - a tactic known as Finlandisation. RFE/RL's Georgian Service spoke to Major General Pekka Toveri, the former intelligence chief of the Finnish General Staff, and Colonel Petteri Kajanmaa, director of the Department of Military Skills at the National Defense College, about Finland's changing security outlook, the potential stumbling blocks ahead, and why so-called "Finlandization" was never a good model for Ukraine. Why is Russia threatening Sweden and Finland to not join NATO? in, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, even held new elections when the previous results were objectionable, "Here are the nations on Russia's 'unfriendly countries' list", MTV3: Large-scale network spying uncovered at MFA, "Russian energy supplier cuts off electricity to Finland amid NATO bid", "Russia warns NATO against inclusion of Finland, Sweden", "Finland says it could join Nato despite Russian pressure", "Nato-jsenyyden vastustus putosi enntyksellisen alas", At NATO's Door: Russia's invasion of Ukraine shifted the opinion of a majority of Finns in favour of NATO membership, "Nato-kannatus nousi enntykselliseen 73 prosenttiin", "Finns warm to NATO in alarmed reaction to Russian invasion of Ukraine", "Ylen kysely: Nato-jsenyyden kannatus vahvistuu 62 prosenttia haluaa nyt Natoon", "Finnish leaders confirm support for Nato application", "Finland must apply to join Nato without delay, say president and PM", "Finland and Sweden formally apply for NATO membership", "Live streaming: Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs", "Finland joins NATO in the alliance's fastest-ever accession process", Embassy of the Russian Federation in Helsinki, Consulate-General of Finland in Saint Petersburg, Ambassadors from Finland (current and former), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=FinlandRussia_relations&oldid=1151399211, Articles needing translation from Russian Wikipedia, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from April 2023, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2020, Articles containing potentially dated statements from October 2013, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Niinist and the Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, on Thursday jointly endorsed Finlands Nato bid and recommended the country must apply for it without delay to guarantee security amid Russias military manoeuvres in Ukraine and Europes changed geopolitical and security landscape. Kajanmaa: I think, from the politicians' point of view, they realized at that moment that someone else was trying to decide on behalf of Finland and that's not acceptable. Finland had its own civil war with involvement by Soviet Russia, was later invaded by the USSR, and had its internal politics influenced by it. And I think what [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan wants to do now is get some face time in this issue -- in what in Finland we call "night milking," meaning he wants to see what he can get out of this. Putin said negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv had been suspended due to Ukraines lack of interest in a serious and constructive dialogue. So there's not much they can stop. When European security deteriorated after 2014, Finlands threat perception did not waver. NATO - Topic: Relations with Finland Finland's Russian trade on thin ice - DW - 05/17/2022 While the relationship between Finland and Russia will continue to have its problems, those who have worked on them also know how to say that despite them, the interaction, especially before the war, has mainly been characterized by practicality and dialogue. But despite its namesake, the term does not apply to the Finland-Russia relationship of today. Even though Finland will face a more threatening and unpredictable Russia as a neighbor and as a member of NATO, it seems unlikely that it would swap its considerate Russia approach to a defiant one. While Finland shares a 1,340km (830-mile) border with Russia, its present relationship with the country is vastly different from that of Moscow's neighbours in the Baltics and Eastern Europe that fret publicly about Mr Putin's agenda in the region after the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. "What do you think we will do in this situation? "[The] wide consensus between leading politicians is that it is not timely to discuss this issue," he says. With the Russian Empire's collapse during World War I, Finland took the opportunity to declare independence, which was accepted by the USSR "in line with the principle of national self-determination that was held by Lenin. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. RFE/RL: Putin says he won't object to membership per se, but that it's NATO infrastructure he is worried about. - Up until 2020, only around 20% of Finns wanted Finland to join NATO in polls, with most people believing peace was best kept by maintaining friendly relations and economic ties with Russia. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. For example, it is possible to imagine a limited Russian military or hybrid threat scenario against Finland in order to absorb Helsinki into Moscows orbit. That figure dropped to 1,700 when border restrictions began on September 30, according to the border guards statistics. In his other rather gritty remark, the President noted how we must not forget how Russia has been Finlands neighbor both in bad days and in better days and will continue to be one even if there were no turn for the better. Russia has said it will bolster its defences near its 1,300km border with Finland after the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, announced that . (modern). Russia launches pre-dawn missile attack on Ukraine, Chaos at port as thousands rush to leave Sudan. During the Cold War and ever since, we tried to create such a relationship [so] that we wouldn't have any arguments between each other. Under the rule of Russian tsars Finland kept all the taxes collected on its territory, the decisions of Finnish courts were not subject of review by Russian courts, and all government positions (except for the Governor General) were occupied by natives of Finland. Finlands former Ambassador to Russia, Mr. Ren Nyberg, has described Russia as the insoluble dilemma of Finland's foreign policy. I don't think Hungary is such a big problem. We tried to choose our way of, like I said, survival during that time. Of all the continental European nations combating, as part of World War II, Helsinki and Moscow were the only capitals not occupied. Turkey might be more interesting and challenging. One reason could be that the Kremlin has made clear that any move on Finland's part to join Nato could invite a strong Russian response. Russias invasion of Ukraine has led to a self-reflection in European societies and the atrocities of Russias soldiers has opened old scars in Finnish society, as well as Finland's historical memory of its war against the Soviet Union. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Marins governing Social Democratic party approved the application on Saturday, paving the way for a parliamentary vote next week to endorse the move. "Finland's accession to NATO will. Then [regarding] military power, [Putin's] forces are tied up in Ukraine. Finland has an embassy in Moscow,[1] a consulate-general in Saint Petersburg and two branches of the consulate (in Murmansk and Petrozavodsk). Finland remained neutral since a 1948 treaty with the Soviet Union and independent since 1917. While Finland's bilateral trade relationship with Russia was badly affected by the 2020 pandemicand has now been completely upended by EU sanctionsin prior years it often exceeded $10 billion, making Moscow one of Helsinki's top five trading partners. REUTERS/Johanna Geron. So I think that they could help there. It is whole new border infrastructure and new approach to border surveillance. People in Finland's emotions have included a combination of fear, anger and, above all, disappointment towards Russia. There's been discussion between the Finnish political leadership and Turkey already beforehand about this thing. If this was not the case, Finland would not be the kind of country to which, for example, the United States would have sold its state-of-the-art military capabilities for the past 25 years. This clearly situates it well within the West, says Suvi Turtiainen, a journalist with the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, who is currently researching Russian perceptions of Finnish independence. Overall I don't think that there would be a need to permanently base NATO units in Finland, but [instead] to improve our capability to receive temporary reinforcement if needed. It's not President Putin who says what Finland can and cannot do. 2. Our citizens thought that if we have really good cooperation with Russia, then we wouldn't have to fear them. The US president, Joe Biden, held a joint call on Friday with Niinist and Andersson where, according to a White House statement, he underscored his support for Natos open door policy and for the right of Finland and Sweden to decide their own future, foreign policy and security arrangements. "For almost 75 years, this great alliance has shielded our nations and continues to do so today," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declared at the ceremony. On September 29, some 8,583 Russian citizens crossed into Finlands eastern border from Russia. Their economic power is very small, because even before the war, our trade with Russia was something like 5 percent of the total trade in Finland. Kajanmaa: Yes, it's [clear] that it's one of the biggest topics [of discussion]. Ukraine war latest: Boy, 6, cries as sister killed in Russian attack Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Anne Kauranen, Tom Little and Essi Lehto in Helsinki; and Andrew Gray, Kate Abnett, Jan Strupczewski and Sabine Siebold in Brussels; writing by Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich and Patricia Zengerle, editing by Nick Macfie, Richard Chang and Rosalba O'Brien, Air defences shoot down 15 of 18 missiles launched at Ukraine in dead of night, Oil depot fire part of Ukraine's preparation for counter-offensive - military, Ukrainian defenders oust Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut - Ukraine general, Pope says Vatican involved in secret Ukraine peace mission. Now we have power also behind us, not just our own forces.". If not publicly then at least in private, Finland has always been prepared for the Russian threat. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Finland's accession raised the risk of the Ukraine conflict escalating further. Russia claims that NATO's persistent invitations for the two countries to join the military alliance would have major political and military consequences which would threaten stability in the Nordic region. Certain realities, however, will not change. Certainly, this is true to the extent that Finland has and continues to have only a limited influence over Russia's choices and broader world view. Finland's only security concerns come from Russia, yet only Russia would react negatively to a Finnish application for NATO membership. The speeches by Finlands leadership reflected on how Russia's war and aggression had increased the threat to Finland's security, and with it, drove Finland to seek security under NATOs umbrella. Finland has become one of the small members of (NATO) that doesn't decide anything, losing its special voice in international affairs. We had a balance [of power] in this area, and it was Putin who decided to change that balance. They are heading West and all those [with] Soviet heritage have already moved, except Belarus, to the West, to Europe, so Ukraine wants to follow that and Finlandization does not help that process. HELSINKI/STOCKHOLM, May 12 (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden, who are expected to decide this week to apply to join NATO, have long had strained ties with their giant neighbour Russia. Finlands previous restraints national defense, the international rules-based order and close defense cooperation with NATO were deemed insufficient under the circumstances. It is noticeable how the Finnish-Russian relationship is living through a historic breakdown as diplomatic engagement has been reduced to a minimum, economic relations have been severed, and cultural and civic interaction has dwindled. The annual event was particularly interesting this time, as it was the first of its kind since the start of Russias invasion of Ukraine and Finlands decision to apply for NATO membership. Of course, we will participate in the Baltic Sea maritime surveillance. Can the United States persuade them? [Finlandization was from] the Cold War. We also examine Europes relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. In dropping non-alignment, Russia's Foreign Ministry said, Finland was committing a dangerous historical mistake that would fray relations with Moscow and undo its status as a confidence-building presence in the Baltic Sea and Europe at large. Finland to join Nato on Tuesday as Russia sounds border warning Russia has repeatedly said it will not tolerate the two countries joining NATO. When Russia invaded Finland in 1808, Helsinki was again burned to the ground. - King Charles XII of Sweden invaded and conquered parts of Russia in the early 18th century but lost a battle in Poltava, in today's Ukraine, to tsar Peter the Great. Why poke the bear?" I'd say that the most vulnerable thing is our communications, because Finland is logistically an island and almost 90 percent of our trade goes on Western sea lines of communications. However, access and close experience should not necessarily be mixed with having influence over Moscow nor is it something Finland particularly ever claimed to have possessed. As President Niinist said in his recent speech, on the contrary, Finland needs to carefully reconsider any dependencies that could be used against it. MisterVee on Twitter Thus, Finland's future relationship with Russia will find its place in the middle ground between old and new doctrines. Unfortunately, even NATO membership does not offer Finland security vis--vis Russia. It also says a lot about Finland's relationship with Russia that, unlike the rest of Europe, it never waived conscription or reduced its defense forces to become a non-existent actor. The last phone call between them took place in May, where the two discussed Finlands NATO application. The Ukraine crisis has strengthened Finland's transatlantic relations with the United States. It's not nothing, but it's not as serious as it sounds. RFE/RL: Is there a sense of concern in Finnish society? They don't have this leverage [in Finland]. Finland's flag - a blue cross on a white background - was hoisted alongside those of the alliance's 30 other members as a military band played in bright spring sunshine. - Finland had to also sign the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance with Russia in 1948, cementing a degree of economic and political dependency and isolating it militarily from western Europe. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. That's what our president means when he says: "You should look in the mirror." A pilot section will be built in Imatra starting in spring 2023. However, Finlands previous close and active communication with Russia at its height of power should be left on the shelf for the time being, but these channels should be kept in the reserve for when and if their time comes. Russia has an embassy in Helsinki, a consulate-general in Turku and consulates in Lappeenranta and Mariehamn. However, as Finland's NATO decision is fundamentally about managing its relationship with Russia, it can be expected that Finland will be a reliable ally who supports a tough approach to Russian aggression especially when this threat will loom over Europe for the foreseeable future. Finns will go to the polls next year to elect a new president but the Nato debate, while always present, will not be a major issue, says Markku Kangaspuro, a Russia expert at the University of Helsinki's Aleksanteri Institute. Finland joins NATO in historic shift, Russia threatens 'counter Will we keep our forces there?" "Russia probably doesn't have any serious need or reason to try to interfere in our politics because our relations are as good as they can be in this situation.". U.S. Relations With Finland - United States Department of State However, the Soviet Union did not abide by the treaty when they blockaded Finnish naval ships. Finland faces Russia electricity cutoff - POLITICO So, it will change the basic relationship. - Sweden's official role as neutral allowed it to be a vocal critic of both the Soviet Union and the United States but had a secret deal that the U.S. would come to Sweden's defence in case of a Soviet attack from the 1960s and forward. Of course, they could look to air attacks over that long border, but our air defenses and air force are in pretty good condition, and we've seen the quality of the Russian Air Force in Ukraine -- it's really not too impressive. Paraguay's President-elect Santiago Pena: puppet or pragmatist? The Kremlin said Russia would be forced to take "counter-measures." By Elisabeth Braw, a columnist at. By joining Nato, Finland will strengthen its own security and assume its responsibilities.
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