Finland Aims to Continue 'Finlandization'

Finnish EU Minister Alexander Stubb, who is likely to be appointed prime minister in the coming days, said June 14 that his country should join NATO. This comes amid an ongoing debate over the future of Finland, a country that has put military nonalignment at the core of its foreign policy. The debate highlights the extent to which the events in Ukraine are having a political and psychological effect on the line of countries from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea that traditionally have been caught in the conflict between Russia and the West.

While there is room for greater cooperation between Finland and NATO, Helsinki is unlikely to formally join NATO any time soon. In the coming years Finland will remain particularly interested in cooperating with its main regional partners in Nordic Europe, especially Sweden.