EDITORIAL - A both good and bad development

In a previous editorial we wrote about how Russia’s plan to weaken the North Atlantic Treaty Organization backfired when Finland and Sweden, both of whom felt threatened by Russia’s war in Ukraine, applied for NATO membership.

Now NATO has formally extended their invitation for the two nations to join them after Turkey, previously opposed to their membership, finally relented.

This is a good development when it comes to limiting Russia’s possible expansion in the region. But on the other hand it also makes the situation there even more dangerous.

Because if Russia attacks either Finland or Sweden after they become NATO members, it will trigger Article 5 of NATO’s charter, which states that an attack against one NATO member is an attack against all of them, and will be dealt with accordingly.

In short, the very real possibility of a shooting war between two parties that are well-armed and have access to nuclear weapons.

Russia President Vladimir Putin had a veiled threat regarding the latest development.

“With Sweden and Finland, we don’t have the problems that we have with Ukraine. They want to join NATO, go ahead... But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created,” he said.

Which is another way of saying that most likely he will put men, war machines, and weapons within striking distance of those two countries.

We cannot take whatever Putin says at face value. Before the war broke out last February he repeatedly denied he would attack Ukraine --until he did exactly that.

Because the membership of Finland and Sweden has yet to be finalized, Putin has a narrow window of time to attack either or both of these nations without the risk of triggering a NATO response.

Considering how unpredictable and unstable he has become, this won’t exactly be beyond him. Although if Russia does so it stands to face more sanctions, not to mention it may spread its forces too thin between Ukraine and a new front.