Ukraine war: Baerbock in Helsinki: why Finland is pushing into NATO

Pekka Haavisto begins his speech with compliments. It was a “great pleasure” for him to welcome “dear Annalena”, said the Finnish Foreign Minister. His German counterpart smiles. Both are in the Estates House, a state representative building in the middle of Helsinki. The walls are wood paneled, the ceilings are decorated with paintings.

But then the pleasantries are over. Haavisto speaks of the “Russian aggression” and the “breach of international law”. Finland sent a military aid package of 400 million euros to Ukraine. Another is planned. His government has not yet made a “final decision” on supplying Leopard main battle tanks to the US Ukraine met. But participation in training and maintenance is conceivable.

Baerbock emphasizes that the “geopolitical coordinates” have shifted “immovably” since February 24. When shipping battle tanks, international coordination is crucial. “Fighter jets are not a debate we have,” she adds. Baerbock is in Scholz mode. She retracts her rhetoric on Russia. At the end of January, she caused a stir in front of the Council of Europe with the sentence “We are at war with Russia”.

Annalena Baerbock in Finland and Sweden

Baerbock’s two-day journey is entitled: Solidarity with the NATO accession candidates in northern Europe. Under the shock waves of the Ukraine war, Finland and Sweden have given up their traditional neutrality in foreign policy. In May 2022, both countries jointly applied for membership in the western military alliance. The move was prompted by concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s imperial ambitions might reach further than Ukraine. At its summit at the end of June, the Alliance basically approved of northern expansion, but Turkey is currently blocking the process.

Finland, in particular, is pushing to slip under the protective shield of NATO as quickly as possible. The country shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia. It is only 300 kilometers as the crow flies from the capital Helsinki St. Petersburgthe entire Finnish territory is within range of Russian (nuclear) missiles.

The fact that Finland is striving to join the alliance is a minor security revolution. The government in Helsinki had pursued a policy of anticipatory obedience toward Russia for decades—a line known around the world as “Finlandization.”

Ukraine Crisis – The most important news about the war

A sense of threat has dominated since the Ukraine war

The roots of this attitude go deep into the past. Finland was attacked by the Red Army in November 1939. After the end of the “Winter War” in March 1940, it had to cede territories to the Soviet Union. Helsinki could indeed avoid from the USSR to be drawn straight into the Eastern bloc. But that came at a price: the country had to commit to neutrality and even allow Moscow an informal say in certain foreign and domestic policy issues.

But that is now passé. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the feeling of threat has dominated. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in no uncertain terms that if Ukraine had been admitted to NATO earlier, there would be no war in the country now. The West should have shown “strength” after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. “We want to join NATO because we never want to have war in Finland again. We have been at war with Russia before.”

Also read: Fear of Putin: Finland digs gigantic bunker system

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