Finland's rejection of the policy of military neutrality would be a mistake, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a telephone conversation with Finnish leader Sauli Niinistö.

The press service of the Kremlin informed that within the framework of the conversation, held on the initiative of Helsinki, a "frank exchange of views" took place in connection with the announced intention of the Finnish leadership to apply for NATO membership.

“Vladimir Putin emphasized that abandoning the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake, since there are no threats to Finland's security.

Such a change in the country's foreign policy may have a negative impact on Russian-Finnish relations, which for many years have been built in the spirit of good neighborliness and partnership cooperation, and have been mutually beneficial, ”the press service said.

The leaders of the two countries also discussed the situation in Ukraine.

As noted in a press release, the Russian leader shared his assessments of the state of the negotiation process between Moscow and Kyiv, which was actually suspended by the Ukrainian side, which does not show interest in a serious and constructive dialogue.

Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Grushko stated that the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO will not remain without a political reaction from Moscow.

At the same time, he stressed that the response actions of the Russian side would be carefully weighed.

“It is clear that this change cannot remain without a political reaction, as well as without a very thorough analysis of the consequences of the new configuration of forces that may be formed as a result of the next expansion of the alliance ... It is clear that the decision will not be made on emotions, it will be a thorough and verified analysis of all the factors that affect the security situation in this region,” the diplomat said.

He added that Russia has no hostile intentions towards Finland and Sweden, but their possible accession to the North Atlantic Alliance "will lead to the militarization of the North."

On Friday, May 13, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Vladimir Putin had discussed with the permanent members of the Security Council potential security threats that could arise if Finland and Sweden join NATO.

Special opinion

Recall that Helsinki and Stockholm had a neutral status after the end of World War II, which they retained even after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, as well as the end of the Cold War.

However, after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, a discussion intensified regarding the possibility of these countries joining NATO.

Thus, over the past months, the Finnish authorities have regularly reported that the issue of applying for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will be resolved in the near future.

On May 12, Prime Minister Sanna Marin and President Sauli Niinistö said that Helsinki should immediately apply to join NATO.

The desire to join the alliance was also confirmed in neighboring Sweden.

The leadership of the bloc has repeatedly emphasized that in the face of growing tensions in relations with Russia, Northern Europe is extremely important for NATO from a strategic point of view.

As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted back in November 2021, “the doors to NATO are open” for Finland and Sweden.

At the end of April, he spoke in a similar vein, stressing that the bloc would accept both countries into its ranks "with open arms."

However, the opinions of the current NATO members regarding the possible entry into the bloc of the two northern countries were divided.

So, in early May, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic announced that he would veto the accession of the Swedes and Finns to the alliance.

Milanovic has previously characterized this idea as a dangerous gamble and stated that the Croatian parliament will not ratify the entry of new countries into the bloc until the interests of Bosnian Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina are taken into account.

Now Turkey has criticized this move.

The President of the Republic, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, recently stated that Ankara cannot yet have a positive attitude towards the entry of these countries into NATO.

He emphasized that he proceeds from the fact that the admission of Greece to the bloc was erroneous due to its "behavior" in the alliance with respect to Turkey and that such a mistake should not be repeated.

According to Erdogan, the negative assessment of the Turkish side is also due to the fact that Helsinki and Stockholm demonstrate a "hospitable" attitude towards terrorists and invite them to their parliament.

  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

  • Gettyimages.ru

Later, the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Mevlut Cavusoglu, explained that we are talking about the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is recognized as a terrorist organization in the country.

Before the meeting of the foreign ministers of the member states of the alliance, Cavusoglu said that because of this, the people of Turkey oppose the admission of Finland and Sweden to the bloc and ask the authorities to block this step.

Soon, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said that Athens was ready to welcome the entry of these northern countries into the alliance.

He added that Greece has excellent relations with these states, which are also members of the EU and have much to offer the military bloc.

"Applies to a certain role"

Experts interviewed by RT regard the current position of the Finnish authorities regarding joining NATO as erroneous, primarily from a geopolitical point of view, which Vladimir Putin informed Sauli Niinistö.

“Finland is also under certain pressure.

And the Russian president understands this very well, but he says that if such a decision is made, those very good neighborly and mutually beneficial relations will be destroyed.

At the everyday level, crossing the border will become more difficult, many circumstances that have become part of life for residents of border areas will change dramatically,” political scientist Alexander Asafov explained.

He recalled that at the end of last year, Russia submitted its proposals for security guarantees, which the West and NATO ignored.

Now they are taking exactly the opposite steps, since Helsinki's entry into the alliance implies changes in the so-called security loop, the analyst says.

“If Finland, as a side of NATO, will deploy weapons that threaten Russia, then it is quite obvious that the Russian Federation will respond to this with a parity deployment of weapons.

Since this decision was clearly not born in Helsinki, the President of Russia proposes to think again how much the implementation of such instructions really corresponds to the national interests of Finland, because the non-bloc status is more comfortable for any type of cooperation, which has been observed for many years, ”Asafov argues.

In turn, associate professor at Moscow State University, political scientist Boris Mezhuev, in an interview with RT, pointed out that the approach of NATO borders to the borders of the Russian Federation in Northern Europe will primarily affect the situation in the Arctic.

“Most likely, Moscow will reconsider its policy towards this region and the Northern Sea Route.

The course will also change in the areas of energy, labor exports, tourism, and work contacts,” the analyst says.

  • Finnish military

  • Legion Media

He states that the belt of neutral states around Russia is actually ceasing to exist.

“It is doubtful that Finland really feared an invasion by the Russian Federation.

Most likely, we are talking about the understanding that an internal bloc of the collective West is being formed in NATO, each of whose members claims a certain role, wants to declare their priorities.

There is a fear of being left out of this "big game".

The refusal of a neutral status can be regarded as a manifestation of the greatest loyalty, ”Mezhuev explained.

According to him, the neutrality of Finland was a certain price for the fact that "the USSR spared her", despite the fact that the country fought on the side of Nazi Germany for most of the Second World War.

“After that, they received the status of a neutral and at the same time relatively friendly state for Moscow.

Trying to change this direction is a huge historical mistake on their part.

Bilateral relations after this step will no longer be so friendly,” the expert believes.