This is what the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti writes on Tuesday, and refers to anonymous foreign and security sources.
Turkey has blocked Sweden’s NATO membership by not formally endorsing it, saying it will not do so until Sweden meets a number of Turkish demands. On the other hand, they have opened the door to approving Finland without Sweden.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says he still has hope that Sweden and Finland will become members of NATO at the same time.
– It will also be an advantage for NATO, he said at a press conference, according to Reuters.
DEFENSE EXPERT: Tormod Heier is a professor of military strategy and operations, head of research at the Norwegian Staff School and professor-II at the University College of the Interior Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB
Natural solution
Lieutenant-Colonel and Professor Tormod Heier at the Norwegian Defense Academy sees it as completely natural that Finland will join NATO before Sweden, if Turkey does not change its position immediately.
– It sounds like a wise decision, says Heier to TV 2.
He does not foresee that it will have any negative consequences for Sweden.
– I don’t think it has much to say for Sweden’s security, because Sweden anyway has close, bilateral defense cooperation with the world’s strongest military power, the USA.
– The US and Great Britain have also given assurances – not guarantees, but assurances – to Sweden about support if they were to be attacked. And thirdly, Sweden’s arch-rival, Russia, lies with a broken back in Ukraine, Heier points out.
Knows Russia well
At the same time, he understands the Finns well, if – as Iltalehti reports – they choose to join NATO without Sweden.
– The Finns are strategically wise. They applied for EU membership in 1994, when Russia was lying down with a broken economic back. Now they are seeking Nato membership when the Russians are down again, this time with a broken military back.
Heier believes that Finland is definitely the country that knows Russia best of the Nordic countries.
He sees it as strategically wise not to tie himself up too much in Sweden, which alone is unable to provide Finland with any security guarantees in the face of a military attack from Russia.
– Nor can we wait for a military attack from Russia for at least 10-15 years, because it will take a long, long time before the Russians manage to rebuild. For all practical purposes, this therefore does not mean much.
