In April 2023, Finland became the 31st member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, aligning itself with the United States, ending generations of Finnish military neutrality between the West and Russia.
NOW:
Posted on 02/26/2025 2:40:54 PM PST by dennisw
In April 2023, Finland became the 31st member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, aligning itself with the United States, ending generations of Finnish military neutrality between the West and Russia.
The Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 provoked the move. The Finnish capital of Helsinki is just 200 miles from St. Petersburg. With under six million people, Finland would have little chance of stopping Russian aggression alone.
The threat isn’t idle. Russia has invaded Finland before, in November 1939. That attack can’t be excused as part of Russia’s defense against Nazi Germany. At the time, the Nazis and Stalin were allies dividing Eastern Europe.
The Finns know the Russians. And whatever you think about Ukraine’s corruption and oligarchs, Finland is a modern, free democracy. It hopes to stay that way.
So when this email about Donald Trump’s embrace of Vladimir Putin arrived unsolicited from a Finnish reader1, I thought it was worth sharing, in full and unedited. A lot of good people are very worried. ............................................
............................................
............................................
Hi Alex,
Domestically, President Trump may be doing exactly what he was voted to accomplish. I have no take on it, naturally, not being an American. But internationally, is he singlehandedly rewriting the US foreign policy?
I used to consider the US our (and Europe's, and NATO’s and Canada's) friend, and Russia our common foe. Now it seems both are our foes. The narrative seems to tell that Trump and Putin have already divided the world into spheres of interest, and well, Eastern if not all of Europe is soon under another Warsaw Pact...
Having enjoyed your writing and political backdrop views over many years, both inside book covers and in other media, what is your take on all this? And do you and the American people believe Russia is as of this month no longer your enemy?
Has Trump simply decided Putin will offer him a better deal than Ukraine and to hell with the rest? Or is he simply being deceived? Does he buy Putin's lines (read: lies) because he admires the man so much? Or does Putin have Trump so deeply in his pocket that he does whatever he is told to do?
Or is it the exact opposite, and Trump is double- and triple-crossing Putin to ultimately push the Russians to step over a line and then be put firmly back in their place? Or have the two simply come to align on an anti-China stand, for Trump to have an ace up his sleeve against Xi and Putin trying to crawl out from underling position vs Xi?
I am not trying to offend any fans of Trump's politics, I am simply trying to make sense of the tectonic shift in who is an ally to whom and who considers whom a threat?
BR
Heikki
PS. My view: never even think of trusting a Russian politician. Full stop.
Yes, the Finns were invaded by Russia and fought valiantly. They also negotiated a peace with Russia and gave up 10% of their land. Just saying....
Putin bad - So America must spend $ Trillions to support Brussels, the flailing British empire and every globalist NGO
Got it
Not to worry.
Europe will protect Finland.
In April 2023, Finland became the 31st member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, aligning itself with the United States, ending generations of Finnish military neutrality between the West and Russia.
NOW:
Dear Fin:
America is not your sugar daddy and we are not responsible for your defense. May I say it is time to grow up and take care of your own foreign relation issues. I will add if you want more American involvement do something that will profit America, if you manage to find something that is mutually beneficial all the better.
PS: You actions in WW2 were not exactly exemplary, in fact they were down right horrible in what side you chose until the end of the war when you switched sides faster than even Italy.
Yours respectfully
The American Citizens
Interesting the Finn letter writer is firmly in the pro-Ukrainian camp.
The Finns have serious experience with Russia.
Or an American one either.
But internationally, is he singlehandedly rewriting the US foreign policy?
Why yes sport, he is. The “US foreign policy” is not something that exists all by itself that a president must follow.
Some say that Sweden and Finland joining NATO actually simplified Russian war planning. Instead of having to go around to the north to get to Norway, now they can push straight through.
Gee, you wouldn’t think that being almost completely surrounded right up to your borders by NATO would worry Russia. A 1,400 hundred-mile front? No problem.
Not really. Now the Russians have to worry about their communications towards Norway being interdicted.
Passing through will also be much harder. There will be at least 4-6x as many enemies in the way.
Never a good idea to multiply your enemies. The Russians have a knack this way. Maybe they should try, I don’t know, being nice?
NATO only works if the USA backs it. That is why Putin is willing to go it alone with Trump. Putin is evil but not stupid. He knows Europe is a joke.
All this argues for a huge change in Russian strategy.
Make friends, not enemies, is it, in a nutshell.
This may require a profound change in Russian national character though.
Oddly in many ways Europe has become more oppressive than Russia. I am not saying Russia is good, they literally are not but if someone rapes a child there that person is not protected but instead ends up dead and the victims and victim’s family is not arrested and jailed like many do in western Europe now.
Harsh justice but at least Russia still defends it law abiding citizens from violence and perversion.
I said this very thing right here on FR, when it happened. Finland has mostly remained neutral and did not seek to provoke Russia and it has worked for them the last 70 years. Joining NATO was stupid for them. In the end, they provoked Russia and are not going to get anything in return.
Take warnings seriously about Finns with skin in the game.
Finns are dramatic socialists. Not a serious country. They elected a 34 year old party girl to Prime Minister.
Like all chicks, belonging is the most important thing. That is why they headed into NATO. Money and being in the club.
Now comes these clowns, harkening back to the 1930s USSR and WWII Stalin era is just more of their socialist retardation. It would be as valid as saying you “know” the USA because you experienced 1940 America.
Post-Soviet Russia hasn’t bothered Finland at all. It was Finland that cut off the gas pipeline into Finland from Russia.
These small minded petty nations are gobsmacked when America doesn’t have permanent enemies and join into their old world grudges.
I think you are being unduly influenced by a certain case that has not yet gone through the fine mill of justice. I assure you that in Spain or France there will be no “victims and victim’s family is arrested and jailed”. The hue and cry would be catastrophic.
Some people in FR have a very strange idea of Europe. This comes from a basic unfamiliarity with Euro society and an over-reliance on sensationalism.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.