"US PR campaign": how the situation around the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is developing

NATO signed protocols on the accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance, the press service of the organization said.

“On Tuesday, 5 July 2022, NATO Ambassadors signed the accession protocols for Finland and Sweden in the presence of Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde at NATO Headquarters,” the statement said.

At the beginning of the signing ceremony, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that this was "a truly historic moment."  

“This marks the start of the ratification process.

The doors of NATO remain open to European democracies that are ready and willing to contribute to our common security,” he said.

During a press conference following the signing of the accession protocols, Stoltenberg said that many NATO countries guaranteed the security of Finland and Sweden even before they received membership in the bloc.

In addition, according to him, NATO has increased its presence in the region, including through more exercises.

Finland and Sweden completed negotiations on joining the North Atlantic Alliance on July 4, the organization's press service reported.

"Both countries have officially confirmed their desire and ability to fulfill the political, legal and military obligations and obligations associated with NATO membership," the statement said.

It is also noted that the signed accession protocols will be sent to all countries of the alliance "for ratification in accordance with their national procedures."

On the day of the signing of the protocols on the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Russian Defense Ministry is considering possible options for a response in the event that the bloc's military infrastructure is located near the Russian borders.

“There are relevant plans there, work is underway to ensure our security,” Peskov said.

As Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, said earlier, the approach of NATO’s military infrastructure to the Russian borders, the active buildup of military forces and assets on the eastern flank not only lead to an “escalation of tension and destabilization of European security”, but also clearly contradict the Russia-NATO Founding Act, which de jure continues to operate.

• Ceremony of signing the protocols on accession to NATO of Finland and Sweden

• © nato.int

“Russia, which is defending its national interests and sovereignty, has been declared an enemy by the United States and its allies,” Patrushev added, speaking in Khabarovsk at a meeting on ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation in the Far East.

He also recalled that the United States and its satellites refused to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Russian side in the field of strategic stability and completely ignored Moscow's demands for security guarantees.

Path to alliance

Recall that on June 29, NATO countries in a joint declaration following the summit of the alliance in Madrid stated that they had decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of the bloc.

"The accession of Finland and Sweden will strengthen their own defenses, make NATO stronger and enhance security in the Euro-Atlantic area," the document states.

Later that day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would be forced to react in reverse to the possible deployment of NATO military infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after the countries join the alliance.

“Only they (Helsinki and Stockholm.

) should clearly and clearly imagine that before there were no threats to them, now if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in a mirror and create the same threats to the territories from where threats are being created to us,” the Russian leader stressed.

Putin also called NATO "a vestige of the Cold War."

“And he (alliance.

) is needed only as an instrument of the foreign policy of the United States, in order to keep his satellites in obedience.

There is nothing else here,” the President of Russia emphasized.

In turn, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on July 1 that NATO expansion if Finland and Sweden join the alliance would worsen the military situation in the Baltic Sea region.

According to him, these territories will turn from the most peaceful in Europe into the arena of military rivalry.

However, according to Western media, the process of Finland and Sweden joining the North Atlantic Alliance may be delayed due to the position of Turkey, which previously opposed such an expansion of the bloc, but then withdrew its claims and signed a memorandum with these two countries.

However, on July 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that the accession of these two states could be blocked by Ankara if Helsinki and Stockholm did not fulfill their promises related, among other things, to supporting the Turkish side in the fight against terrorism.

At the same time, US President Joe Biden has already sent letters to Congress on the admission of Finland and Sweden to NATO.

The text of the documents was published by the press service of the White House on July 2.

As noted, the American leader also presented to congressmen relevant reports on the entry of the two countries into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

• Symbols of NATO / flags of Finland and Sweden

• Legion Media

"Compensate for image losses"

As Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State Pedagogical University, noted, the haste in completing negotiations between Finland and Sweden on joining NATO and signing the relevant protocols suggests that the leadership of the alliance, led by the United States, wants to demonstrate to the world that the bloc is supposedly “still powerful” and able to expand, while creating new threats to Russia.

“For Washington, the true director of this performance, the most important thing is to demonstrate to the whole world a new expansion of NATO to the east in order to compensate for the image losses that the alliance is suffering as a result of the Ukrainian crisis.

The West is supplying weapons to Kyiv en masse, and Russian troops are still moving forward.

This whole story with the accession of Finland and Sweden is intended to show that NATO is supposedly still a strong and powerful structure that dictates its terms to the world and threatens the interests of the Russian Federation, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

According to Shapovalov, the accelerated process of Finland and Sweden joining the bloc is a kind of US PR campaign designed to convince the world of NATO's viability and its attractiveness to other countries.

However, according to the expert, the process of ratification of the protocols on the accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance may be delayed due to Turkey's position.

“Ankara will try to spoil this game for Washington, Stockholm and Helsinki by putting forward new demands in the fight against terrorism.

The Turkish campaign has not yet ended, and Ankara will still ruffle the nerves of Sweden and Finland.

All this will delay the entry of the two countries into the bloc, but it cannot be ruled out that by the end of this year the states may already join NATO, ”the expert said.

At the same time, Shapovalov believes that the current "anti-Russian activity" of the North Atlantic Alliance not only violates the still valid Russia-NATO Founding Act, but also has an extremely negative impact on the security system around the world.

“The Alliance has long violated international norms.

The situation around the formation of new threats to the security of the Russian Federation proves that there are no rules for the bloc.

All this creates additional tension and instability, ”the expert is sure.

According to Shapovalov, if Finland and Sweden join the bloc, Russia will follow the aggressive steps of NATO in a mirror reaction regarding the strengthening of its military potential in the Baltic region.

“If, nevertheless, NATO infrastructure is located on the territory of Finland and Sweden, this will threaten the Russian Federation.

And Russia will be forced to strengthen its military presence on the border with Finland.

The creation of NATO bases in Finnish and Swedish territories will significantly weaken the security of the two Scandinavian countries, since Moscow will not be inactive.

It will strengthen protection measures in the northwest from threats from NATO, including through advanced weapons, ”the analyst said.

• Finnish military

• AFP

• © Alessandro RAMPAZZO

As Shapovalov noted, there were no threats from Russia for Finland and Sweden.

“At the same time, for the Russian Federation and the world as a whole, the main danger is the NATO military bloc, which behaves aggressively and intends to expand near Russian borders.

At the same time, the countries of the bloc are already declaring that the Baltic Sea is turning into an intra-NATO one.

However, it is extremely important for Russia to ensure the security of its interests in the Baltic Sea,” the expert believes.

In turn, military expert Yuri Knutov also noted that the appearance of Finland and Sweden in NATO could entail certain threats to Russia.

“Firstly, the Baltic Sea becomes completely controlled by NATO countries, with the exception of narrow strips in the region of Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg.

In addition, the alliance has the opportunity to strengthen its positions at the entrance to the Northern Sea Route, which is of great interest to the West, since it is shorter than the traditional route through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.

Therefore, the struggle for the Northern Sea Route will unfold rapidly,” the analyst said.

However, according to Knutov, Russia has every opportunity to ensure its security and defend geopolitical interests.

As the expert noted, it is not in vain that the Russian military department, against the backdrop of the accelerated process of Finland and Sweden joining NATO, is already developing plans to respond to the expansion of the alliance and bringing its infrastructure closer to the borders of the Russian Federation.

“In the event that NATO bases and troops and other infrastructure of the alliance are deployed on the territory of Finland and Sweden, the response from Moscow will be immediate,” the analyst concluded.