At this point, being in NATO feels safer then not being.
Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
31–40 of 317 posts
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#32"We'll invade you if you join NATO" loses its power a bit when you invade people who haven't joined NATO.
Even worse, when you invade someone who tried to join NATO, was given the same warning, didn't join NATO, and then was invaded anyway. Finland and Sweden should join now while Russia doesn't have the ability to invade (because their forces are busy in Ukraine).
Whether they join or not, Finland and Sweden better beef up their defenses, starting yesterday...
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#33"We'll invade you if you join NATO" loses its power a bit when you invade people who haven't joined NATO.
Part of the “justification” for invading Ukraine was that they didn't rule out joining NATO in the future, and in fact have an official policy of seeking NATO membership, which puts them farther along the process than Sweden or Finland.
OTOH, Sweden or Finland could probably join more quickly and with less friction if they decided to seek membership, and I can easily see the result of this being pushing Sweden and/or Finland into NATO rather than keeping them out.
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#34We seem to be at an impass. NATO exists to help people not feel threatened by Russia. Putin has decided that the mere existence of a real NATO is a threat to Russia (he's fine with a paper tiger institution that is all but imaginary). It's like a European version of 1860 in the US. As an American, I'd be (emotionally, but not rationally) glad to just put an end to 100 years of Russian aggression, mostly because I'm a…
It really makes perfect sense. USA has long history of imperialism and anti-democratic actions. And USA is core of NATO. Any sane country knows that only safe way is to have reasonable buffer zone against such well known aggressor.
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#35Doesn't the EU membership also include some sort of mutual defense agreement?
No post body was provided.
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#36I'm ashamed at our (the USA's) response. We have no choice here. When will this stop? Do we allow mutually assured destruction be used to have Putin march his troops into our beloved nation too? What about Georgia, Bosnia, Finland, Sweden?
The only option, better done now than later is to ready, arm and prepare all our nuclear warheads, point them at Moscow, and then send our forces into Ukraine, repelling the Russians. If Russia fires a nuke, we let it all go.
I'm prepared to head to the army recruiter today if we do this, the right thing. In that event, I hope the rest of my countrymen choose to join me. I wish Russia could've been integrated with the west long ago, and I think the only other way to prevent this conflict was to station NATO troops in Ukraine. The ship has sailed on both fronts. The only options are to fight now, or fight later.
God bless the heroes of Ukraine. I hope we, myself included, are there soon.
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#37As I wrote in another thread today, current EU and US leaders are asleep at the wheel. We have a different dynamic. Talking about sanctions looks almost pathetic. The analogy here is, you live in a community and one of your neighbors just lost it completely and is shooting and shelling another neighbor. Not to raise the hostilities...you scream at him he wont be invited anymore for the Christmas party and you will co…
NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg press briefing of today:
From correct time: https://youtu.be/JvxqTGrZxwQ?t=64
Partial quote as of time above:
"...The Kremlin objectives are not limited to Ukraine. Russia has demanded legal binding agreements to renounce further NATO enlargement. And remove troops and infrastructure from allies that joined after 1997..."
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#38"We'll invade you if you join NATO" loses its power a bit when you invade people who haven't joined NATO.
Putin has been saying for the past decade that he would not tolerate further eastward expansion of NATO, a thoroughly anti-russian alliance. It is a reasonable position. No, invading independent countries is not reasonable. One can hold both these thoughts in their head.
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#39Doesn't the EU membership also include some sort of mutual defense agreement?
Yes, Treaty of Lisbon
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A...
>7. If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. This shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States.
Re: Finland or Sweden joining NATO would spark Russian response, Russia warns
#40Then if they did join NATO, then Russia would declare an attack on NATO? Or the more likely explanation is that this threat makes it less likely NATO would accept them.
This is an empty threat from Putin, he may be close to a madman but he is not stupid.
Attacking NATO will mean his removal from power, most likely by someone within his own ranks.
If Sweden or Finland wants in, then NATO should comply as fast as possible.