Sweden and Finland agree to both apply for NATO membership in May in defiance of Russian threats

Daily Mail ^ | 4.25.2022 | David Averre

[libh8er]

Two newspapers - one Swedish, the other Finnish - have reported the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month.

Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week starting May 22 and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Sweden's Expressen tabloid.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to growing support in Sweden and Finland, a Russian neighbour, for joining NATO.

Though not members, both Nordic countries closely co-operate with NATO, allowing, among other things, the alliance's troops to carry out exercises on their soil.

Helsinki and Stockholm have also substantially intensified their bilateral defence co-operation in the past years, and there was talk earlier this month that the Nordic territories could both seek to join NATO in the coming months amid Russian aggression.

Sweden signalled its intention to apply for NATO membership on April 13, in a move which infuriated Moscow lawmakers.

Sources told Sweden's SVD newspaper about the move on the same day that fellow neutral neighbour Finland started its debate on joining NATO after days of speculation it would do so.

[x]

I guess NATO sweetened the deal by tossing in a few mugs or sweatshirts or something ...

[Dick Vomer]

Oh by the way, check the news this morning about Moldova and how the Russians aren’t going to threaten or occupy them. Maybe that possibility is just a little above “zero”.

[kenmcg]

Sweden and Finland to NATO; good move. Peace through strength, now in the words of DJT, all of the NATO countries must pay their fair share with money and troops and no excuses.

[Dick Vomer]

So the millions of sq miles they already have as the largest country in the world by land mass is not enough?

It is not the amount of land they occupy, but the amount of land they need to defend in order to stop land based threats. They have a lot of land but not enough men aged 17-35 to defend a 2000km border in the east.

They are screwed by demographics and geography..... as are the Poles, Ukrainians and Baltic states.

Russia's land mass is both a blessing and a curse for an "empire" and it is on it's last legs demographically unless there is some great awakening amongst the Russian people.

We are living on the edge of a big cliff if Russia goes the way of the dodo. Lots of nukes and NOBODY knows who the next man up is going to be, but I have a feeling he'll be a murdering bureaucrat like Putin that was able to maneuver his way around that deadly swamp.

[Cronos]

“They have a lot of land but not enough men aged 17-35 to defend a 2000km border in the east”
So then they should focus on the east and not try to invade countries in the west

[Cronos]

Russia as a political entity will split up.

This is Putin’s fault.

He did not create a plan of succession, he did not spend on improving the lot of his people. Rather he gave the money to oligarchs.

I fully expect Tatarstan, Yakutia and Kalmykia to create a TurkiC union and for Russia west of the urals to be separated from it

[Cronos]

I did. However the bombings were in Transdniestr, not in Moldova

[Wallace T.]

The Chinese are more likely to dominate Russia indirectly through commercial ties rather than outright conquest. The Belt and Road Initiative is characteristic of CCP methodology. Chinese businesses have gained considerable influence in Africa through trade and financial deals that lead some countries to become seriously indebted to Chinese banks. Most African countries abstained from the resolution expelling Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council. All of Europe and most of Latin America voted for expulsion. Chinese business control is not prevalent there.

In like manner, China will control Russia and not a shot will be fired. Especially with Putin going rogue. You cannot spend so much money, war materiel, and blood in a vain dream of restoring the USSR in all its Stalinist glory, without serious help from their Chinese partner. If Russia loses, so much the better for China. Basically, it is the CCP using the same tactics they used in Africa on a vast scale.

[Dick Vomer]

I meant eastern Europe.

[Dick Vomer]

However the bombings were in Transdniestr, not in Moldova

pull out a map. But, like I said, I'm probably wrong and Moldova, parts of Romania, Poland and the Baltic countries are going to be just fine.

Putin is probably just yapping about nuclear war and Finland and Sweden are going to join NATO without a peep from the Russians.

Putin will die or get voted out by a western loving social media savvy metrosexual pretty man that could be on television and loves everything about America.

Heck, we could go to Harvard or Yale and find a professor that has studied Russian history or wrote a book about how to govern failed states... and put them in charge...

[pierrem15]

The assertion that the US is talking about putting nukes in Finland or Sweden is patently false and the charge we are doing so is simply Russian propaganda.