Bloomberg
Sweden and Finland are starting to win assurances of help if threatened by Russia in the interim period between an expected application to join defense alliance Nato and an eventual entry.
The two Nordic countries, which began to seriously consider joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have worried of an insecure “gray period†on the doorstep of the bloc, before full membership unlocks its collective security guarantees. Russia has repeatedly warned both with potential consequences.
The US is “ready to provide various forms of security
assurances†to both countries, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said after talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, according to public broadcaster SVT. Finland is expected to apply for entry before May 17, while Sweden’s stance is less clear.
Also, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told reporters in Finland that “it’s inconceivable that Britain would not come to the support of Finland or Sweden if it was ever attacked,†regardless of what stage of the Nato entry process they are at, according to multiple media.
“We expect three types of intimidation or action,†former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said in an interview on Bloomberg TV. “One is hybrid, one is cyber and then one is information. The information war is already going on.â€
Stubb mentioned posters that have appeared in the past days in the Russian capital, including outside the Swedish embassy, claiming Astrid Lindgren, the author of Pippi Longstocking, or Ingvar Kamprad, the father of Ikea, supported Nazis.
The assurances from the US are not the same as security guarantees, Linde said, but they would mean that “it would be clear to Russia that if they conduct any negative activities towards Sweden, which they have threatened, the US would not let that pass unnoticed, without doing anything.â€
The two Nordic neighbours have repeatedly been told by Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that they would be welcomed with “open arms†and a “quick process.â€
“I’m also certain that we will be able to find arrangements for that interim period†between applications “and until the formal ratification is finalised in all 30 parliaments,†Stoltenberg said. “I’m confident that there are ways to bridge that interim period in a way which is good enough and works for both Finland and Sweden.â€
The “best security guarantee†would be to “keep the ratification process as short as possible,†Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters in Copenhagen.
Other measures may include increased joint training exercises, which would put Nato troops on the ground in the two countries, and enhanced information sharing.
The Nordic nations are close partners to Nato, have highly compatible gear, and often train together with the alliance.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sought to calm fears about the security risk
on the path to membership, saying that as fellow Europeans,
Sweden and Finland can “in any case always count on Germany’s support, independently of
Nato membership and also during the period before it’s decided within Nato.â€
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, whose country is already a member, has spoken of a need for Nato to send “a strong security signal†when it welcomes the two applicants.
There’s no immediate military threat, Marin has said. Finnish authorities have warned cyber attacks and airspace violations are likely to be among ways in which Russia will react.