On Wednesday morning, Swedish Ambassador Axel Wernhoff and Finnish Ambassador Klaus Korhonen personally handed their applications to join NATO to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, according to the WSJ.
Stoltenberg emphasized the momentous occasion by saying, “This is a good day at a critical moment for our security. Thank you so much for handing over the applications for Finland and Sweden’s membership in NATO.”
However, shortly after the Nordic countries turned in their application, Stoltenberg was met with resistance by Turkey’s president. His opposition to their joining resulted in Stoltenberg not having the consensus he needed to move forward in the application process.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he objected to Sweden’s entry into the alliance due to the country’s involvement in granting asylum to alleged members of a Turkish terrorist group known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
NATO diplomats feel that President Erdogan will eventually concede and allow the countries to join. However, according to The Washington Post, even if President Erdogan approves, the countries could be facing a more prolonged and more arduous process than they initially anticipated.
Both Sweden and Finland have historically been militarily unaligned but not necessarily neutral. Both countries have traditionally supported and cooperated with militaries associated with NATO and are a part of the European Union.
However, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the countries decided to strengthen NATO’s presence in Europe. The induction of Sweden and Finland into NATO would secure a large portion of the far north for the alliance as well as secure the primary control of the Baltic Sea region.
Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia and has never in its history made a formal military alliance. This hesitancy was to primarily negate an adverse reaction from Russia.
As the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, Finland and Sweden hope that their desire to join NATO and its pending acceptance will be enough to deter Russia from pursuing aggressive actions on their soil.
Eighty years ago, Russia (then the Soviet Union) and Finland fought against one another in the Winter War, which left thousands dead. This memory is still bitter for Finnish citizens, who do not wish to relive past tragedies.
Sweden has historically refrained from joining NATO to preserve its desire to be recognized as a peacekeeping nation that opposes nuclear arms. Sweden has not fought in a war on its soil in over 200 years.
Russia was the last to attack the country in 1808, and the fight resulted in Russia annexing what is now modern-day Finland.
Both Finland and Sweden meet many of the prerequisites required for membership in the NATO alliance, including advanced militaries and weapons. However, both countries would need to up spending on their military to meet the minimum required amount required on defense spending.
Finland expects to meet this requirement by 2024, while Sweden will need an additional four years to meet the target percentage of 2%.
An unknown question is whether Russia will retaliate against the countries for their attempts to join the NATO alliance. Putin stated on Monday that he was not against Sweden or Finland joining the coalition as long as they did not attempt to set up stations with NATO bases and weapons on their soil.
Finnish officials feel that if Russia were to retaliate, it would come in a hybrid attack, such as a cyberattack or something similar. However, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine has proved, one can never be certain what President Vladimir Putin will do.