The president shed light on his thoughts on how Finland and Europe should take care of their security in the future, writes NATO special reporter Maria Stenroos.
The fear of the expansion of the war in Ukraine has been concretely present again in recent weeks. President Sauli Niinistö reminded on Thursday how the world is on the brink of death in the war in Ukraine.
Niinistö talks about the balance of horror.
The NATO countries have avoided being directly confronted with Russia in the Ukraine war. Stray shots or provocations, however, can start a reaction that won’t stop. Finland, as a member of NATO, is also involved in making political decisions on how to act at the border so that the situation does not get out of hand when things get bad.
The latest sign of danger was seen on Monday, when Ukraine said that a Russian plane had exploded in the territory of NATO country Romania.
At first, Romania denied the finding. However, after a couple of days of confusion, it revealed on Wednesday that it had also found the wreckage of an airplane in its territory.
This was not the first time that the NATO side of the border was hit. In the fall of last year, a missile possibly launched from Ukraine hit Poland near the Ukrainian border.
Of the pieces that fell in Romania, it is not possible to know exactly why they ended up there. The investigation is ongoing. Russia has previously bombed the port city of Ismail, located on the opposite bank of the Danube.
NATO interpreted today that probably Russia did not shoot at Romania on purpose. The missile that also hit Poland was considered an accident.
Finland has lived with a long eastern border as Russia’s neighbor and prepared for the situation that something could always happen. The situation is also more dramatic for Finland now that Finland’s eastern border is also a NATO border.
The Finns are also preparing to participate in NATO’s peacetime missions, for example air surveillance. Even in these tasks, the risks of NATO’s border have to be constantly thought about.
Niinistö was startled on Thursday by choosing the most important words.
– The risk that atomic weapons will start talking is absolutely huge. Yes, it means the end, yes, of course, it is taken seriously, Niinistö assesses the possibility of escalation.
He says he is talking about a theoretical situation where nuclear weapons are one factor that cannot be ignored. However, there is a danger of escalation and whoever is responsible for the solutions is in a difficult position, according to Niinistö.
The mundanization and forgetting of the war in Ukraine is lurking, even though the war is still in the headlines. With his rousing speech, Niinistö returned Finns to the basics.
In Niinistö’s answers to political reporters the president’s thoughts on what should be done in a situation where the pieces of the world order are in motion are outlined.
First of all, Finland relies on the United States, with which a defense cooperation agreement is currently being negotiated. Niinistö said that the agreement will bring some kind of American presence to Finland, without specifying what kind yet.
NATO membership alone is not enough for Finland’s security, nor is the support of the United States. Niinistö talks again about Europe having to strengthen its own defense.
Defense is not a zero-sum game, says Niinistö. Finland will continue to take care of its own solid defense, and is not demanding NATO troops here. But cooperation means that the safety of others must also be taken care of.
It is also interesting that Finland continues to support Ukraine, and does not set very precise conditions for the support. Finland does not take a position on whether Ukraine is allowed to fire on Russia’s side. Niinistö says that the weapons are given for defensive purposes, and that’s how they have been used to his knowledge.