The visit to the United States has been described as a historic step for Finland, and NATO membership as a bad setback for Russia. At the same time, the media have warned that favorable winds may change.
WASHINGTON Joe Biden yesterday’s visit was the sixth official visit by an American president ever to the Chamber of Finland.
However, it was unlike any before.
This time I did not come to negotiate with the Soviet leaders, but to meet Finland face to face.
This was also noted here in the United States, where The Wall Street Journal saw Biden’s visit as marking a final departure from the Cold War’s neutral balance between East and West.
– For decades, Finnishization meant the subjugation of a small country in the sphere of power of a larger and stronger one. Biden’s visit consigns this concept to the scrap heap of history, writes The Wall Street Journal.
President Biden has repeatedly reiterated his notion of how Vladimir Putin made a fatal miscalculation when he invaded Ukraine.
Finland and Sweden, which have always stood firmly for non-alignment, moved decisively from their traditional tracks, and quickly applied to become members of the military alliance NATO.
NBC News stated that Western countries consider Finland’s membership as an example of how Russia’s attack has expanded and revitalized NATO.
In Fox News’ online article, Finland’s NATO membership is again described as a “big setback” for Russia.
The Washington Post’s editorial states that Finland’s membership will increase the alliance’s muscles and strategic depth.
– The membership of Finland and Sweden turns the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake, the Washington Post writes.
In the midst of the excitement, concern about the future also emerged
Amidst all the excitement, concerns were also raised in the United States.
The former president Donald Trump’s The visit to Finland 2018 is fresh in my mind.
Trump then flattered Vladimir Putin at a press conference, where he, while the whole world was watching, let it be understood that he believed more in Putin than in the word of his own intelligence chief.
It was Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Here in the United States, Trump’s behavior was considered almost treasonous.
In the same way, the US’s NATO allies remember how Trump threatened to leave the alliance completely because, in his opinion, other countries did not play their financial card in the common room.
Whereas Biden’s worldview is based on democratic values, Trump’s interaction with other countries is based on maximizing financial benefit.
While Biden believes that the world will become better mainly as a result of the cooperation of allies, Trump believes that the United States can do best by doing everything alone and pursuing its own interests.
Republican front-runners may intervene to support Ukraine
There are presidential elections in the United States in the fall of next year, and Trump is currently the clear favorite for the Republican nomination.
The Los Angeles Times recalled in its own article that Biden appeared in the same hall in the Presidential Palace as Trump once, but with completely different messages.
– This is a stark reminder of how quickly the political winds can change direction from Trump’s nationalist and multilateral cooperation-scornful politics to Biden’s effort to restore US credibility and revive the Western defense alliance – and how the direction might change again in 2024.
Many media picked up on Joe Biden’s assurances in Helsinki that the US’s commitment to Finland’s defense, for example, will remain.
– I absolutely guarantee it, Biden said, before stating that nothing is ever certain.
According to a Reuters poll, a clear majority of Americans support armed aid to Ukraine and consider it a sign that the United States wants to defend its allies.
But as the New York Times reminds us, the top two Republicans Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have both expressed their reservations about the aid given to Ukraine and its continuation.
All Republican leaders in Congress support a strong NATO and support for Ukraine.
However, during Trump’s presidency, none of them stood up to oppose him even though they disagreed on issues.
It remains to be seen how they will act this time if Trump gets back into the White House and threatens to close the aid taps and push NATO into the background.