Finland officially joined NATO on yesterday, becoming the 30th 31st* member of the alliance. And yesterday, a Kremlin spokesman said that Finland’s membership was an “aggravation of the situation” and “an encroachment on Russia’s security.”1 I suppose it is true that Finland’s membership did aggravate Vladimir Putin. As for it encroaching Russia’s security, it might have done so if Russia’s security is defined as being able to invade any country it wants to.
Also, Russia’s Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, said that it was Finland’s membership was an “anti-Russian policy,”1 which is actually 100% true. There is no way Finland would have joined NATO if Russia had not renewed its invasion of Ukraine in February of last year. Finland didn’t join NATO so it could attack Russia; Finland joined NATO so Russia wouldn’t attack it. So, yes, it was an anti-Russia policy. Or at least, an anti-Vladimir Putin policy.
If Russia wants to stops its neighbors from joining NATO because they are scared of Russia, maybe Russia should stop doing things that scare them.
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1 Henry Foy and Anastasia Stognei, “Kremlin vows retaliation after Finland signs up to ‘anti-Russian’ Nato alliance,” Financial Times, April 5, 2023.
* Oops, 31st member. I forgot about North Macedonia joining in 2020
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