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Putin Warns Finland NATO Membership Would Be “Mistake”, Cuts Electricity Supply

Earlier on Thursday, both Marin and Niinistö had said the country must join the Alliance “without delay” and hoped to decide “within the next few days.”

May 16, 2022

Author

Statecraft Staff
Putin Warns Finland NATO Membership Would Be “Mistake”, Cuts Electricity Supply 
Finland’s decision to join the security alliance comes following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
IMAGE SOURCE: THE TIMES

On Sunday, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin in a joint press conference announced that after consulting with the Ministerial Committee, the government had decided to formally apply for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Their decision comes against the backdrop of intensifying threats by Russia, which shut down the delivery of electricity to the Nordic nation on Saturday.

Niinistö said the announcement marked the beginning of a “new era” and underscored Finland’s right to an independent national security policy, saying membership will ensure a “strong, stable, and responsible Nordic region.” He noted that Finland will “both receive protection and help protect others.”

In a similar vein, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto has said, “we are convinced that Finland would bring added value to NATO. Our wartime strength of the defense forces is 280,000 troops, and the trained reserve is 900,000 men and women.”

Niinistö further noted in his press conference with Marin that security is not a “sum-zero game,” adding that an improvement in Finland’s security would improve the comprehensive security of the continent. While speaking about cooperation between Finland and Sweden, Niinistö said, “Sweden’s cause is ours.”

In her turn, Marin thanked the President for “good and seamless cooperation” and said the government’s next decision would be taken after submitting the report to the Parliament. Given that the majority of lawmakers already support the motion, the submission of the application is all but guaranteed.

Their announcement came just one day after Niinistö phoned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to inform him of Finland’s imminent plans to join NATO in order to “maximise its security.”. According to a release by the Finnish President’s office, Niinistö laid out “how fundamentally the Russian demands in late 2021 aiming at preventing countries from joining NATO and Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have altered the security environment of Finland.”

The Finnish president also expressed concern about Russia’s war in Ukraine and called for peace and the safe evacuation of civilians.

In this regard, Russian state-owned news outlet TASS said Putin told his Finnish counterpart about how Ukraine “does not show any interest in a serious and constructive dialogue” and has “practically put on hold” any negotiations.

On the topic of NATO membership, Putin said abandoning the “traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake since there is no threat to Finland’s security.”

Similarly, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said NATO membership would “definitely” constitute a threat to Russia and “does not make our continent more stable and secure.” Discussing Russia’s response, Peskov said that it would depend on “the extent to which military infrastructure moves closer to our borders.”

In the past, however, Russia has warned of deploying nuclear weapons to the Baltics. Furthermore, it has moved its military equipment, including coastal defence systems, to its border with Finland. Russian Senator Viktor Bondarev has warned that NATO membership will push Russia to station even more troops along the border.

On Saturday, Russia stopped electricity supply to Finland. RAO Nordic, a subsidiary of Russian utility Inter RAO, said, “Further direct or bilateral sales of electricity imported from Russia will be halted until further notice due to problems in receiving payments for electricity sold on the market.” Finland imports 14% of its electricity from Russia.

In response, Finland has said it will import more electricity from Sweden and generate more electricity at home.

Similarly, PM Marin has said Finland’s reliance on Russian energy could come to an end within “weeks or months.”

However, this is easier said than done. Helsinki Times reported that in 2020, Russia accounted for 95% of Finland’s coal imports, 88% of its pellet imports, 86% of its crude oil imports, 67% of its natural gas imports, and 36% of other energy imports.

Finland’s decision to join the security alliance comes following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland shares a 1,300-kilometre-long border with Russia and has long maintained a neutral security policy. However, the fear that Finland could become Russia’s next target has forced it to change course. In fact, public support for the alliance shot up to 76% since the Russian invasion.

Like Finland, Sweden, too, is likely to apply for NATO membership. Concerning this, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said, “Finland is Sweden’s closest security and defence partner, and we need to take Finnish assessments into account.”

In fact, Niinistö held a joint phone call with Swedish PM Magdalena Andersson and US President Joe Biden on Friday, wherein Biden “underscored his support for NATO’s Open Door policy and for the right of Finland and Sweden to decide their own future, foreign policy, and security arrangements.”

Finland and Sweden have also received votes of confidence from Germany, the United Kingdom, and others, including NATO itself.

Author

Statecraft Staff

Editorial Team

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