Sweden and Finland formally submitted a joint request to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on May 18. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced the landmark decision on May 16, marking a reversal of 200 years of military non-alignment. “We are leaving one era behind us, and entering a new one,” Andersson told reporters. Foreign Minister Ann Linde stated on Twitter that “the Russian invasion of Ukraine has deteriorated the security situation for Sweden and Europe as a whole.” However, the ruling Social Democrats have expressed “unilateral reservations against the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish territory.”
The announcement came just hours after Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin jointly declared the country’s intentions to seek NATO membership, similarly ending decades of non-alignment.
Speaking at the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s meeting in the Kremlin on May 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that further NATO expansion was “a problem that has been created completely artificially, since it is being done in the foreign policy interests of the United States.” Putin added that while Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO did not create an immediate threat to Russia, “the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory would certainly provoke our response.” As to what this response might be, Putin said it would depend on the threats that will be created, “that is, problems are created out of thin air.”
The accession of the two Nordic countries is the latest step in NATO’s relentless expansion towards the east, despite the assurances given to the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
A “defensive alliance”?
Founded by imperialist powers in 1949, NATO initially comprised 12 countries including the US, France, and the UK. Its stated purpose was to counter the Soviet Union and to stop the spread of socialism. Not only did NATO continue to exist after the disintegration of the USSR and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, the discussion in Washington DC became increasingly focused on expanding the bloc, and more importantly, the role of the US in Europe. This flew in the face of the statements that US and other Western leaders were making public, including to the Soviet Union. This included the infamous exchange between then US Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in the context of German unification 1990.
In classified documents published by the US National Security Archive, Baker assured that “not an inch of NATO’s present military jurisdiction will spread in an eastern direction.” He assured Gorbachev again stating that consultations within the “two+four” mechanism “should guarantee that Germany’s unification will not lead to NATO’s military organization spreading to the east.”
However, NATO did not in fact stop expanding eastward. Not only that, in the absence of the counterbalance of the Soviet Union, the US and NATO, as described by prominent anti-war activist Brian Becker, decided to “destroy all of the governments whose origins were rooted in the anti-colonial projects of the WWII era.” This included countries that had looked at the socialist camp for military, economic, and diplomatic support, even if they weren’t part of it.
NATO proceeded to bring former Soviet republics in Eastern Europe into its fold, expanding from 16 member states in 1991 to a total of 30 today. This expansion was key in preventing the emergence of any alliance in Eurasia which could threaten US hegemony and control in the region. US nuclear weapons are now based in five NATO member countries in Europe. Military bases capable of firing ballistic and nuclear missiles are positioned as close as Poland and Romania. At the same time, the US has withdrawn from key arms treaties including the Intermediate-Range Forces Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Not a leap, but the “last step on a long road”: Sweden and Finland’s ties to NATO
Commentators and Finnish officials have argued that Helsinki’s decision to join NATO marks a gradual evolution rather than a “leap”. Finland became an official NATO partner under the “Partnership for Peace” in the 1990s. Incidentally, Russia was the first country to join the program in 1994, whose goals were defined as “expanding and intensifying political and military cooperation in Europe” Despite the stated policy of military non-alignment, both Sweden and Finland joined the European Union (EU) in 1995 and have decidedly aligned their defense policies with NATO and the West. This includes taking part in the bloc’s joint military exercises and intelligence-sharing. More importantly, both countries deployed troops in the US-led and NATO-backed invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Helsinki and Stockholm have now announced significant increases in their military spending. Finland’s defense expenditure stands at 2.3% of its Gross Domestic Product, the largest in Europe. It is also purchasing 64 F-35 stealth fighter jets, and has announced that it will boost its military spending by 2.2 billion euros or USD 2.4 billion over the next four years, marking a nearly 70% increase in the defense budget. Meanwhile, Sweden has pledged to raise its military expenditure to the 2% threshold required to join NATO “as soon as possible”. It has agreed to raise its expenditure to 91 billion kronor or USD 9.3 billion a year by 2025.
While both countries have received support from NATO and the US, Turkey has announced that it will block their bid. President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Sweden and Finland of harboring “terrorist organizations”, including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has been outlawed by Ankara. He has also called for an end to the arms embargo imposed by both countries on Ankara since 2019. The accession of new states to NATO requires unanimous approval by all 30 members.
While ratification usually takes upto a year, Sweden and Finland’s accession is expected to be approved within the coming months. Upon formally receiving their requests on May 18, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg announced that “All allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement.” These remarks highlight the bloc’s long standing disregard not only for its own documented assurances against expansion (and Russia’s repeated objections to it), but its role in catalyzing the invasion of Ukraine – ultimately at the expense of the Ukrainian people. Newsclick editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha aptly described this callousness, stating, “NATO is fighting Russia till the last Ukrainian.” Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed on May 19 that talks had stalled, with Russia accusing Kiev of practically withdrawing from the negotiation process under pressure from the West.
Meanwhile, the US Senate has approved a record USD 40 billion in weapons and other assistance to Ukraine. Sweden and especially Finland’s formal accession will only promote further militarism at a time when negotiations and resolution are crucial. Finland shares a 1,340 kilometer border with Russia, and controls major coastlines in the Baltic Sea along with Sweden. Accession to NATO will expand the bloc’s grip on the region, which forms Russia’s point of access to the Kaliningrad exclave and the city of St. Petersburg. It will also go beyond Sweden and Finland’s current military and political arrangements with their NATO neighbors – Denmark, Norway, and Iceland – under the Nordic Defense Cooperation or NORDEFCO. Importantly, Finland’s actions also go against the 1948 Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance that it signed with the USSR. Finland was obliged to resist the use of its territory by the West to attack the Soviet Union. The Russian Federation signed a new treaty with Finland to this end in 1992. Finland has also echoed statements made by Sweden against the stationing of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on its territory. However, membership to NATO will put their forces under joint command. Member states also have a collective defense pact under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
No to NATO! – Left-wing forces reject imperialism and militarism
Left-wing and anti-war groups in Sweden and Finland have increasingly rejected the membership bids to NATO, arguing that the move will only serve to escalate tensions. The Communist Party of Finland (SKP) has argued that transforming the country’s eastern border to a “NATO-Russia” border will only bring more military activity to the region. It added that Finland would be drawn into conflicts and be involved in NATO’s strategic plans in the Baltics. The SKP noted that NATO’s common defense was ultimately based on US military capabilities and nuclear deterrence.
“As a member of NATO, Finland will also be committed to the NATO strategy developed under the leadership of the US, which includes nuclear weapons, the readiness to use military forces without a UN mandate, the deployment of NATO troops on the borders with Russia, and armaments also against China. This would be a historic mistake,” the party stated.
Media reports on this issue have consistently cited growing domestic public support for Sweden and Finland’s NATO bids. However, communists have pointed to the heavy pro-NATO propaganda and a “toxic political environment” which has amplified militarism and has been used to to indicate seemingly broad public support. Condemning Stockholm’s decision, the Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) stressed that “a real movement against NATO must be based on an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist position.” The party has rejected the membership bid, arguing that it will not only strengthen Swedish imperialism, but also the NATO-EU-US bloc.
