Stoltenberg: We are ready for war in Europe in unsuccessful negotiations with Russia
Finland and Sweden are ready to join NATO, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is staring at Ukraine and gathering 100,000 troops on the border with Kiev, Bloomberg reports.
Late last month, Russia’s foreign ministry commented on both northern countries, expressing dissatisfaction with the idea of joining the alliance. But this approach can
to have the opposite
effect on
the Russians
by increasing the desire of these Scandinavian nations to seriously consider membership. This is an opportunity for NATO given the geography and military capabilities of the two countries.
The President and Prime Minister of Finland have clarified in their New Year’s messages that the country intends to decide for itself – without first consulting with Russia – whether to join the alliance.
This is a remarkable departure from the Cold War years, when Finland consulted the Soviet Union before any key decision was made. This is seen as a crucial moment in the two Scandinavian countries’ relations with NATO.
Of course, although it has maintained its official policy of neutrality, Sweden has been secretly cooperating with NATO for years. In the late 1940s, the Swedish Social Democratic government provided intelligence to the United States and other NATO countries, purchased defense equipment from them, and relied on Washington to come to the rescue in the event of a Soviet invasion.
“The Russians are making us talk about NATO. But the real problem is not Finland’s or Sweden’s NATO membership, it’s Ukraine. By directing the international discussion towards NATO enlargement, Russia is trying to hide the deep trauma for one country – Ukraine – which has lost, “said Rene Nyberg, a former Finnish ambassador to Moscow.
Last year’s survey of Finns’ attitudes towards national security found that 24% support membership in the military bloc. In turn, a Swedish poll from 2021 shows that 46% of Swedes want to join NATO, compared to 43% 3 years ago.
Ultimately, Finland and Sweden may decide to apply for NATO membership, but the key is how Moscow can react to any of their military decisions, analysts say.
At the same time, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said that NATO is ready for a new armed conflict in Europe in the event that negotiations with Russia, which begin tonight, fail.
“The Russians
fight from
centuries with
your neighbors
But Russia has an alternative: to cooperate, to work with NATO, “said Jens Stoltenberg.
Relations between the two powers have escalated due to Russia’s actions along Ukraine’s borders. Tensions have reached an end after Russian forces entered Kazakhstan last week to fight civil protests against the government. Negotiations on Ukraine between Washington and Moscow began in Geneva on Monday. Hours earlier, Secretary of State Anthony Blinkon warned Russia that there was a risk of confrontation.
“We are facing the path of dialogue and diplomacy, but if Russia decides to embark on the path of confrontation, decisive action will follow,” said the first US diplomat.
In Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman discussed consensus. The meeting lasted about 7.5 hours behind closed doors.
Sherman said “the United States will listen to Russia’s concerns and share its own,” adding that no discussions on European security would take place without the presence of other allies. The talks will move on to meetings in Brussels and Vienna later this week.
Last month, Russia made extensive demands, including a ban on further NATO enlargement and the alliance’s closure in the Central and Eastern European countries that joined after 1997.
The United States and NATO have said much of Russia’s proposals are counterproductive.
Some US officials fear that Russia’s demands are deliberately unrealistic, designed to be rejected and used as a pretext for military action. Other diplomats believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to get high concessions from the Western alliance, which is ready to give them to avoid war.
Experts believe that the Russian president is in fact pushing for the termination of the European security structure created after the Cold War and the creation of a Russian sphere of influence.
Ukraine on Monday called on Germany to unblock arms sales to the country to deter Russia. Ukrainian Ambassador to Berlin Andriy Melnik warned that his country was facing a real threat of invasion from Russia.
“To prevent Putin’s impending attack … Kiev expects huge military support from Germany,” Melnik said.
– .
