Finland in NATO: Putin announces problems and military reinforcement North-West of Russia

“There were no problems there, but now there will be because we are going to create the Leningrad Military District and concentrate a certain number of units there,” he told a journalist from the public television in an interview broadcast on Sunday, December 17, where he accuses the West  countries of having “dragged Finland into NATO”

Les relations entre les deux voisins, qui partagent une frontière longue de 1.340 kilomètres, se sont considérablement détériorées depuis février 2022 et l’offensive russe en Ukraine, une attaque qui a conduit la Finlande, inquiète pour sa sécurité, à rejoindre l’Otan en avril 2023.

« les pays Occident  ont entraîné la Finlande dans l’Otan. Avions-nous des différends avec eux? Tous les différends, y compris ceux territoriaux du milieu du XXe siècle, sont réglés de longue date », a déclaré M. Poutine.

Relations between the two neighboring countries [Finland and Russia], who share a long border of 1,340 kilometers, have deteriorated considerably since February 2022 and the Russian offensive in Ukraine, an attack which led Finland, to worry about its security, and join NATO in April 2023.

“Western countries have dragged Finland into NATO. Did we have any disagreements with them? All disputes, including territorial ones from the mid-20th century, have long been settled,” Putin said.

His statements come as Finland announced on Thursday that it would once again close its entire border with Russia, a few hours after reopening two border crossings, accusing Moscow of orchestrating a migration crisis. This decision will be effective from Friday 8:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT) until January 14, according to Finnish Interior Minister, Mari Rantanen.

Finland accuses Russia of deliberately letting these migrants pass, denouncing a “hybrid attack” aimed at destabilizing Finland. Accusations rejected by the Kremlin. Russia had promised to take “countermeasures” after Finland joined NATO.

Putin added that Russia had no reason to be at war with NATO countries, while American President Joe Biden raised in early December the hypothesis of a Russian attack against a NATO member country.

Warning that a halt to American aid to Kyiv would be "the greatest gift" to give to Mr. Putin, Mr. Biden warned that the Russian president "will not stop" from Ukraine. American leaders "demonize Russia", retorted the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov.

For Mr. Putin, “this is rhetoric to justify an erroneous policy towards Russia. The latter has "no interest whatsoever in geopolitical, economic or military terms in fighting NATO countries", assured Mr. Putin.

The Russian offensive that commenced in February 2022 in Ukraine has awakened fears within NATO for its Eastern flank. On Thursday, Atlantic Alliance Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said that "if Putin wins in Ukraine, there is a real risk that his aggression will not stop there”.