Riga As of this Tuesday, the border between NATO member states and Russia is suddenly twice as long as before. Finland’s accession to the western defense alliance should therefore go down in history as a historic step. And as one who should prove itself beyond its symbolic power.
How could it be otherwise, the usual banging can be heard from Moscow. According to Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, the risk of a conflict is increasing, the Presidential Office is threatening countermeasures, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is talking about an interference in Russia’s security.
None of this is new or surprising. Of course, Russia could deploy troops along the Finnish border. An escalation at this point is not likely to be in Moscow’s interest at the moment, above all, of course, because of the mission in Ukraine, which is so difficult for Moscow and through which Putin is wearing out masses of Russian soldiers.
Accordingly, the West should not be deterred by the expected aggressive rhetoric. Because Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine clearly shows that the greatest security risk on the European continent comes from Moscow itself.
The fact that Finland, another European state, is now joining the western defense alliance speaks for the fundamental unity of the western partners towards Russia – contrary to all attempts from Moscow to sow discord within and between the states of Europe.
>> Read here: Historic step – Finland joins NATO
And with NATO growing stronger, Europe as a whole will be safer in the long run. Accession is of particular importance for NATO’s eastern flank. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which joined as part of the eastward expansion in 2004, have been concerned about their own geographical position between Russia, Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The fact that Finland is now another ally in the north-east strengthens the eastern flank and secures the situation of the states that warned particularly early about Russia as an aggressor state.
Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, an expansion of NATO in Finland was considered almost unthinkable. The enlargement by a 31st member state not only underlines how much the war is changing Europe, but also the flexibility and determination with which the West is reacting to the new security situation. Both must now be maintained.
More: Secretary General Stoltenberg welcomes Finland to NATO