Finland joins NATO

The Kremlin has assured that appropriate measures will be taken to ensure Russia's security

The Finnish flag next to the NATO flag. Source: RTVE.es

There are now 31 countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, better known as NATO. The Scandinavian country's official incorporation into the political and military organization has been completed after a long process that began at the NATO summit held in Madrid last summer, when Turkey lifted its veto on Finland and Sweden becoming candidate members of the Atlantic Alliance. In the case of Sweden, Turkey considers that the Nordic countries must comply with the agreements they reached regarding the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization in Turkey.

Finland's accession has been mainly driven by the war between Ukraine and Russia. Finland, a traditionally neutral country, since the war began in February 2022, has been taking small steps to make this possibility a reality, adopting a stance distanced from neutrality.

Vladimir Putin has achieved the opposite of his intentions. The Russian leader wanted and wants less NATO; however, the Russian invasion has led countries such as Sweden and Finland to consider joining the organization in order to be under NATO protection and reinforce it with their respective armies.

What does Finland's accession mean for the alliance? The first answer is to provide more control over Russia, NATO's main enemy. It should be remembered that Russia and Finland are bordering countries, so the Atlantic Alliance's border with the Soviet country increases by more than 1300 kilometers. Another answer that is not so obvious to the general public is the uniqueness of the Finnish army. The Nordic country is very mindful of its 'total defense' system, so that all sectors of Finnish society are involved in planning the defense of their country. A peculiarity with respect to other countries is the existence of compulsory military service for men, in which a citizen's army is trained for possible acts of war. This means that, in a country of 5.5 million inhabitants, 900,000 people are reservists.

Moreover, when one thinks of the military, the name Finland does not come to mind. However, it is a modern army and one of the best armies of all the Baltic Sea countries.

Pekka Haavisto, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, with Stoltenberg and Antony Blinken. Source: El Confidencial

Finland also has much to gain from joining NATO. Faced with a possible attack from its Russian neighbors, Finland, as a full member, will be able to invoke Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. This article perfectly sums up NATO's collective protection values. "The parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them, occurring in Europe or North America, shall be considered as an attack directed against all of them..."

Russia has not stood idly by, as might have been predicted. Putin likes to attack, but he does not agree to others bolstering their defenses. Putin is conducting an expansionist "special military operation," but he does not want NATO, unsurprisingly, to expand its membership and borders. Following the inclusion of Finland, the Kremlin has once again struck a threatening tone by claiming the presence of nuclear-capable aircraft in Belarus.

Total fracture between Russia and NATO. Source: The HuffPost

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that NATO troops will not be deployed on Finnish territory for the time being. Such a possibility will take place subject to Finnish consent. The alliance's most important heads of state have urged the other countries to admit Sweden as soon as possible in order to increase NATO's security.