NATO expansion with Finland, Sweden’s bid tips balance
Moscow, Helsinki, Stockholm ‘ need to avoid US trap’
NATO expansion continues despite the Russia- Ukraine conflict as the US- led military alliance could include two more European countries, Finland and Sweden, which previously held a military neutrality stance between NATO and Russia. Chinese analysts said that this could add new uncertainty to the security of Europe, but it does not mean there will be new military conflicts in the continent as they believe Russia can solve its concerns with these two countries in political ways, otherwise they will fall into a US trap to further worsen the security situation of Europe.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership of the NATO military alliance, Reuters reported. Russia, which shares a 1,300- kilometer border with Finland, has said it would be a mistake for Helsinki to join NATO and that it would harm bilateral ties. Sweden’s governing party has backed joining
NATO, moving the country closer to applying to join the alliance, media reported Sunday.
Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that by including Finland and Sweden, the balance between NATO and Russia will be further broken as these two countries have strong economic and military capabilities, and this will surely increase the pressure upon Russia.
The US can deploy missile defense systems and other military equipment in the territories of NATO members, to weaken the nuclear deterrence of Russia and maximize the military advantage against Russia, said analysts, noting that this is the fundamental reason why the tensions between Russia and some European countries cannot be effectively resolved, and also a reason that causes the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Cui said Russia will not like the decision for sure but Moscow stressed that Russia imposes no threat to its neighbor, so this gives a chance for Russia and Finland, as well as Sweden to wisely solve their concerns by political ways.
“Obtaining NATO membership to respond to the domestic public doesn’t necessarily mean they [ Finland, Sweden] will serve the US’ strategic goal to provoke or attack Russia, so they don’t have to solve their concerns by conflict, as long as they can insist on not imposing direct military threats against each other,” Cui said.
The current hot spot is still the Russia- Ukraine conflict, and the future of Russia and NATO depends on how the situation in Ukraine develops, said experts.
Russia and Finland, as well as Sweden, have chance to wisely solve their concerns by political ways: Chinese expert