Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: According to the general opinion, a certain geopolitical balance was established in the Northern European region during the Cold War. History has proved that most military operations in the Baltic region require access to what is today Finland's air, sea, and land. Of particular importance is the control of the Åland Islands, which border Swedish waters and serve as the "eastern gateway" to the Baltic Sea. Russia's proposals (demands) on security guarantees which were sent by the Russian Foreign Ministry for discussion on the 15th of December 2021 and made public on the 17th of December 2021, are often mentioned as the main reason for Finland and Sweden's official and decisive accession to NATO. Allegedly the draft agreements on security guarantees proposed by Russia to the United States and NATO, and in particular, on the non-expansion of the Alliance to the East and the limitation of any forward presence, were perceived by Finland and Sweden as an unacceptable attempt to infringe on their national sovereignty and the right to determine how to ensure their security. Ultimately, the full-scale military conflict in Ukraine that began on the 24th of February 2022 is often claimed to be the main rationale behind Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO. This very conflict is said to have highlighted significant military and political tensions and threats from the side of the Russian Federation and finally convinced the governments of Finland and Sweden, as well as the governments of NATO member states, of the necessity to expand the North Atlantic Alliance on the basis of Finland and Sweden. However, the problem is much broader and deeper, and its genesis is not limited to Russia's recent (ultimatum) proposals for security guarantees and/or a military conflict in Ukraine. Moreover, Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO does not necessarily mean greater security for these countries and the NATO bloc overall.
Source: Політичне життя
Authors: Н. Сокур, С. Гнєзділова, Т. Остапчук, Л. Остапчук
Language: Ukrainian
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409239641