“‘Finlandization’ would appear to rule out [the possibility of NATO membership for Ukraine] and allow Moscow a heavy hand in Ukrainian affairs — concessions Kyiv and NATO have rejected as unacceptable, ” wrote the New York Times.
“All of this goes against what Ukraine has been striving for,” said Anna Wieslander, director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council. “It would be a big shift from a long-term political aim of joining NATO and joining the EU, which is what they have wanted.”
Further reading
Wed, Feb 9, 2022
Wieslander interviewed on Putin-Macron meeting by Sweden’s “Expressen”
In the News By
“[Putin] does not want to stop negotiating but rather continue increasing his sphere of influence in Europe. It is an interplay between military escalation and negotiations…If nothing happens militarily now, the chances of him taking action may be reduced. However, he can always withdraw and come back in the summer. We just don’t know. He […]
Tue, Jan 11, 2022
Wieslander interviewed by Radio Sweden on Russian demands
In the News By Anna Wieslander
Russia’s demands that NATO should not expand any further, or face the consequences, has raised concerns over the security of the two Nordic non-NATO members Sweden and Finland. “This is very troublesome for Sweden… and it is not the first time Russia has done this,” Wieslander said.
Fri, Jan 7, 2022
Wieslander on Swedish & Finnish NATO enlargement in RUSI interview
In the News By Anna Wieslander
Sweden and Finland’s freedom to potentially join NATO was recently challenged by Russia. Anna Wieslander spoke with Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) about the reactions in Stockholm and Helsinki. “Overall, Sweden’s response has not been at the same high level of state officials as the response in Finland. One key explanation for this is that […]