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For decades, Finland opted not to join any military alliance in an effort meant to appease Russia's security concerns. "We used to consider it a brotherly country of the capitalist world, the closest to us in spirit, in mutually beneficial economic relations," said Nikolai, a St. Petersburg resident. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Finland in 2021 sent 5.4% of its. Finlands approach to Russia in the future stems from the stone-cold fact that it cannot escape the common 1,300 km (800 mile) border and military proximity with its neighbor. Russian President Vladimir Putin is travelling to Finland at a symbolic time: the country is celebrating its 100th year of independence from Russia. Most ethnic Russians, who lived in Finland prior to 1918, immigrated to other countries, primarily Germany and USA. Kajanmaa: It depends on how we negotiate with NATO. RFE/RL: Prior to the war, a model was offered to settle the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and this was unofficially dubbed "Finlandization." Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. The same is now being done in other western capitals as well. This is a harsh and perhaps a realist school of thought reminder especially for smaller states. It is not something away from anybody, Niinist said. Finland played a difficult game during that period, acquiescing to the Soviet Union in many respects and not challenging it but maintaining its independence and political system. If Finland joins NATO, then we are on the enemy side, so to say. Although the effort by Helsinki to actively build predictability and interdependencies between Russia and the West has been noble, in the end the time turned out to not be right. Hence, the conclusion was that only NATO's article five and its nuclear deterrence could provide Finland with sufficient security. Applying for NATO membership in the spring of 2022 falls in line with this tradition. A similar echo of self-criticism was noticeable in Prime Minister Sanna Marins speech at the Heads of Mission meeting, where she stated how perhaps Finland should have listened more closely to the Baltic countries regarding Russia. 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. We are pretty sure that they won't launch any kind of military operation because, first, they don't have the capabilities, and they don't have any reason to do that. - Joining the EU and signing its mutual defence clause meant Finland switched from formal neutrality to military non-alignment, but Finland opted to stay out of Western defence alliance NATO. Furthermore, Russia sees Finland's inclusion in NATO as a threat to Russian national security since the United States would likely be able to deploy military equipment in Finland if the country were to join NATO. 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. It's more or less threatening. The statement added: Such a change in the countrys foreign policy could negatively affect Russian-Finnish relations, which had been built in the spirit of good neighbourliness and partnership for many years, and were mutually beneficial.. First published on Mon 3 Apr 2023 09.10 EDT. The Global Europe Programs staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. . We were between East and West and the Soviet Union was a totally different player than Russia is now. What Threat Does Russia Pose To Finland? Just four days after the start of the war, Finlands largest daily Helsingin Sanomat declared that Finland has no special understanding of Russia, due to the inability by the political leadership to anticipate the war. Finns have not shied away from harsh self-criticism either. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. Our citizens thought that if we have really good cooperation with Russia, then we wouldn't have to fear them. Finlandisation is now commonly used to describe the situation when a small country allows its policies to be significantly influenced by a larger and more powerful neighbour. I don't think that any Greek or Italian units will be seen in Finland because it's a different part of NATO. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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. The construction of such a fence is expected to take three to four years and it can endure for roughly 50 years, according to the Finnish Border Guard. HELSINKI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Finland is preparing a response to a letter it received from Russia on Tuesday that asked for security guarantees from OSCE countries, Finnish foreign minister Pekka . [9], During the period 198891 when the Baltic states were pursuing independence from the Soviet Union, Finland initially "avoided supporting the Baltic independence movement publicly, but did support it in the form of practical co-operation." There's been discussion between the Finnish political leadership and Turkey already beforehand about this thing. Toveri: I'd say that [Russia's] possibilities are somewhat limited currently. A primary example of this is energy related endeavors with Russia, such as the planned nuclear power plant on Finland's west coast a project in cooperation with Rosatom but canceled since Russia invaded Ukraine. That figure dropped to 1,700 when border restrictions began on September 30, according to the border guards statistics. During these years Karelia was a highly Russian occupied military ground; the operation was led by Russian general Waltteri Asikainen. Paraguay's President-elect Santiago Pena, a clean-cut former central bank director, will need all his wits and cool to steer the South American nation through economic headwinds hurting voters and rising pressure from farmers to cut ties with Taiwan. A first obvious answer is Russia. By JARI TANNER May 14, 2022. 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. 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. 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. By joining Nato, Finland will strengthen its own security and assume its responsibilities. I don't see any reason why Finland should send, for example, one brigade to Greece because we have our own threats here and vice versa. 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. Hungary cites grievances over Swedish criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's record on democracy and rule of law. Correction: This story has been amended to reflect that Finland was not a NATO member at time of publication. She says perceptions that Finland somehow sits in the middle between Russia and the West are misguided. Vazha Tavberidze is a staff writer with RFE/RL's Georgian Service. Eventually, in the distant future, there will likely be a time when Russia and the West will have to sit down, and when that happens, there might be a demand for practicality. Having channels to Moscow has rather been about strengthening Finlands international position and having an ear on matters that have an impact on its immediate national security as well as keeping an eye on its neighbor. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Why are Sweden and Finland not yet in Nato and does the alliance want them? Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. And we've seen that when the Cold War ended, many countries [abandoned] the conscription system and went for a professional force [and in those countries] the willingness to defend the country went down drastically. Of course, they can do something, but we know where and we can control that and we are prepared for that every day. How NATO Could Change Finland's Military President Putin told a news conference during a visit to Finland last July, according to Euronews. - 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. Indeed, President Niinisto told Russia's Tass news agency ahead of the visit that his communication with President Putin is "rather clear and frank", with the pair able to "discuss anything". Finlands frequent interactions with Russia in the past has often led to Helsinki being characterized as a bear whisperer. "It is a great day for Finland and I want to say that it is an important day for NATO," Niinisto said at a joint news conference with Stoltenberg. 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. Russia recently dispatched written letters to both Finland and Sweden, demanding security guarantees, as it stated that the two NATO allied nations must "comply with commitments not to strengthen their security at the expense of the security of others." Finland, Sweden's neutrality buffer zone since Cold war 'risks shattering' The View From Finland: 'The Russian Garrisons Have Been Emptied. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. The always present potential of Russias threat had to be viewed from a different perspective after February. People in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, only about 150 km (93 miles) from the Finnish border, said Finland would make problems for itself by joining NATO. (modern). Finland remained neutral since a 1948 treaty with the Soviet Union and independent since 1917. Our program activities cover a wide range of topics, from the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE to European energy security, trade disputes, challenges to democracy, and counter-terrorism. The Global Europe Program addresses vital issues affecting the European continent, U.S.-European relations, and Europes ties with the rest of the world. RFE/RL: I know Finland very closely cooperates with NATO, in NATO's Partnership For Peace program and has taken part in NATO missions. Kajanmaa: Of course, Russia can harm [Finland] and they are trying to put pressure on our decision-makers. relations with. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Russia said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its west and northwest in response to Finland joining NATO. If not publicly then at least in private, Finland has always been prepared for the Russian threat. In land Islands. The Kremlin's press service said in a statement that Putin told Sauli Niinisto . 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. This question has been building for some time. And it has been a close partner of Nato since the 1990s - sending troops to operations led by the alliance in the Balkans and Afghanistan, and maintaining a relationship that is now said to be as close as it can be without Finland officially joining as a member. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstroem told reporters it was Stockholm's ambition to become a member at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. - Joseph Stalin's Red Army attacked Finland in 1939, starting what became known as the Winter War in which Finland fought off the Soviet invasion attempt on its own. They had some sort of a good relationship with Ukraine before 2014, and now the situation is what it is -- and that's why our citizens have changed their minds. Finlands Russia policy since the end of the Cold War has been labeled by many as naive, where risks and unpleasant facts were completely ignored. So it would be a very big risk for Russia to try something like that. - 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. 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. Additionally, he believes that transatlantic cooperation is needed for the maintenance of sovereignty and security of some EU member states, including Finland. 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. Toveri: It's not a security guarantee. "[The] wide consensus between leading politicians is that it is not timely to discuss this issue," he says. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki and Johan Ahlander in Stockholm After decades of neutrality, Finland has now formally applied to join NATO. "It's a special day for Finland. They can fly over Finnish airspace. They don't have this leverage [in Finland]. RFE/RL: How would Finland's NATO membership change the security paradigm in the region, especially with regards to Russia? In late August Finland's foreign policy leadership gathered in Helsinki for the Annual Heads of Mission meeting to discuss current security and foreign affairs. Finlands national security will be linked to the common border and its stability, which create the need for some level of communication. A prime example of this is how between 2012 and 2022, the President of Finland, Mr. Sauli Niinist has either met or held a telephone meeting with his counterpart Vladimir Putin over 40 times. A foreign ministry statement said the move would seriously damage bilateral relations . Certain realities, however, will not change. Moscow says the funnelling of heavy weaponry to Ukraine by NATO countries since the war began proves the West is bent on destroying Russia. And now it's maybe half of that and still going down. Thus, it seems that Finland will face its traditional dilemmas and problems mostly in a new context and as part of an alliance. But all that is a matter of the negotiation process with NATO. We also examine Europes relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Sweden said it detected radiation that indicated that the vessel was armed with nuclear weapons. Europe can't decide if it wants to punish ordinary Russians for Putin's war. A recent survey found that just 21% of Finns support joining Nato, while 51% oppose it, with the rest not giving an answer. This is not the right time to build connections but rather strengthen a common position in the West. 2023 BBC. Finland ends military non-alignment adhered to since 1945, NATO accession spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland has made dangerous historical mistake, Russia says. 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. Paraguay's President-elect Santiago Pena: puppet or pragmatist? They can move troops very close to the border. The Soviet Union did not officially acknowledge it shot down the planes until 1991. - Finland lost around 10% of its territory to the Soviet Union in the Moscow Armistice in September 1944. Pekka Toveri: The Croatian president, as I understand, has a special relationship with the Russians, but the Croatian government has a totally different view and the president is not the one who determines things. 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. [But] that might change now, because of the Russian point of view [according to which] NATO is the enemy, or at least on the opposing side. Finlands former Ambassador to Russia, Mr. Ren Nyberg, has described Russia as the insoluble dilemma of Finland's foreign policy. 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. In Helsinki, there are no hopes for a quick change in relations nor a need to strive for special attempts at dialogue. It had to relocate 400,000 inhabitants, or 11% of its population, from lost territories and pay war indemnities worth $300 million, equalling some 4.9 billion euros ($5.3 billion) in current exchange rates. Well, there's no political power anymore. ", [1/7]Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto gestures as German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Norway's Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt attend a roundtable discussion during a joining ceremony at the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium April 4, 2023. The spying was uncovered in spring 2013, and as of October 2013[update] the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) was investigating the breach. 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. - "We have seen how Russia behaves in Ukraine. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. But despite the chummy optics, observers expect the pair to have honest conversations about prickly issues, including military tensions between Russia and the West in eastern Europe. When Russia invaded Finland in 1808, Helsinki was again burned to the ground. A day after Finland's leaders announced their support for NATO membership, Russian state-owned utility company Inter RAO announced it would stop exporting electricity to Finland from Saturday. We've seen in Finland that the most important part of our defenses is building willingness to defend the country among the population. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Finland's accession raised the risk of the Ukraine conflict escalating further. [21][22] On 18 May 2022, Finland formally applied to join NATO, simultaneously with Sweden. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Finnish President Saul Niinisto said Finland's most significant contribution to NATO's common deterrence and defence would be to defend its own territory. The Nordic country shares an 830-mile border with Russia. A Looming Cable Race in the Arctic: What Role for NATO? 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. From midnight 1314 May 2022, Russia suspended electricity supplies to Finland. The discussion [with Putin] was straightforward and unambiguous and was held without exaggeration. Can the United States persuade them? The last phone call between them took place in May, where the two discussed Finlands NATO application. Kajanmaa: I have never been fond of that idea, that we use Finlandization as a model for Ukraine or anyone else. Finland and Sweden Are Done With Deference to Russia Even if the two Nordic countries don't join NATO, they have signaled a new era in relations with Moscow. Then [regarding] military power, [Putin's] forces are tied up in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin and Sauli Niinist in 2019. "Finland's accession to NATO will. 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. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. Russia has an embassy in Helsinki, a consulate-general in Turku and consulates in Lappeenranta and Mariehamn. RFE/RL: Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer land border with Russia. First of all, I doubt that there would be separate NATO bases in Finland. - Sweden lost Finland to Russia in a war in 1809, turning Finland into an autonomous part of the Russian empire, the Grand Duchy of Finland. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. This does not mean Finland would no longer oppose Russias imperialism or stop supporting Ukraine by all possible means. 4:57 PM EST, Fri November 18, 2022. For years, Russia has said Finland shouldn't join NATO, but it's Finland's decision, [and that has] been good enough for Finland. Importantly, various government-level contacts and the experience gained from them have made Finland an interesting partner in the West. 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. But Finland shares an 830-mile land border with Russia and Lappeenranta is only 19 miles from the frontier - closer to Russian president Vladimir Putin 's home city of St Petersburg than to. Relations since then have been both warm and cool, fluctuating with time. Toveri: The thing is that 90 percent of that border is wilderness, it's just forestno road, no network, no anything. "He is getting exactly the opposite Finland today, and soon also Sweden will become a full-fledged member of the alliance," Stoltenberg said. HELSINKI/BRUSSELS, April 4 (Reuters) - Finland formally joined NATO on Tuesday, its flag unfurling outside the military bloc's Brussels headquarters, in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine that drew a threat from Moscow of "counter-measures.". That comes through general conscription because, that way, every family more or less is tied up in the [country's] defense. How much support are we talking about and in what manner? But then in December [2021], when President Putin said that Finland can't join NATO and if Finland joins NATO there would be consequences, that was a direct threat, trying to force Finland's hand. Exports from the United States to Finland include chemicals, electronics, machinery, instruments and apparatus, road vehicles and transport equipment, coal, medical equipment, food and beverages, metals and metal products, crude minerals, and metalliferous ores. They don't have any land force [to do that]; 80 percent of their combat-capable land forces are in Ukraine. We moved our forces back [from the border], 1500km away. Traditionally, Russia has used political, economic, and military pressure -- and power.

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