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Working Paper No.76 / 2023
The following working paper examines the current state of security in the Baltic region. It has become clear that there is no going back to the pre-Ukraine crisis balance of power structure. NATO’s expansion into Sweden and Finland can radically transform the political and security landscape in the Baltic region and destroy the established forms of cooperation these states have with Russia. This paper covers: risks and opportunities states face by engaging with Russia in the Baltic region; the changes in the region’s security configuration and their implications for Russia; the position of the Baltic states on the Ukraine crisis ...
... projects. Geopolitically, this whole decision of Finland has completely changed its position of military neutrality in the region and the state has already started thinking militarily on similar lines to NATO’s strategic planning and security outlook.
Finland-Russia Border
Finland and Russia maintain 1,340 km of land border. One may argue that till recently this was not even a border but an open frontier, at some of the places between the two states. Both Finland and Russia maintained mutual respect for each ...
... increase to almost twice as much as Russia’s expenditures. Ukraine has received at least US$ 75 billion of weapons, even exhausting NATO budgets and depleting arsenals which, one would think, implies a reduction in security. Add a re-armed Sweden and Finland and we shall see Russia’s military expenditures move towards perhas 4% of NATO’s expenditures or less—and still be called a formidable threat.
Decision-makers have left the realm of the rational factural analysis, perceptions and interpretations. And they would ...
... President of Ukraine
called upon Western states
to close their countries off to Russians, while Ukraine itself is so far abstaining from such steps.
Virtually simultaneously, Estonia’s Prime Minister and several politicians from Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland suggested that the EU
stop issuing visas to Russian nationals
. Previously, Polish authorities had made a similar proposal.
Ivan Timofeev:
Closing Loopholes: Outlining the U.S. and EU Sanctions Policy Onward
After Russia recognized the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic,...
... Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the European Leadership Network (ELN) discussed the implications of possible Sweden and Finland membership in NATO for global and European security, the risks of incidents in the Baltic Sea region and the possibilities ... ... the prospects for multilateral cooperation in the Arctic in the context of NATO expansion and the aggravated relations between Russia and the collective West, as well as a number of other issues.
.... The decisiveness of the allies and the texts of official documents and statements, at first glance, make NATO look like a locomotive going towards its goal.
At the same time, no new fundamental operational decisions were made regarding Russia. The Russia-NATO Founding Act remained de jure untouched, the formulas for Sweden and Finland to join the alliance remain open, the prospects and models of interaction with partners in the post-Soviet space are even more open. This means that at the regional level, the Euro-Atlantic train moves “only where the track has been laid” ...
... membership for Sweden and Finland.
The event was attended by Igor Ivanov, RIAC President; Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General; Ivan Timofeev, RIAC Director of Programs; Antti Helantera, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland in the Russian Federation; Malena Mard, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to Russia, as well as RIAC members and experts.
Which trends seen in the West reflect Finland’s and Sweden’s possible entry into NATO
Much has been said and written about the likely consequences of Finland and Sweden joining NATO. A legion of analysts have already assessed the changing balance of power in the Baltic Sea, the new situation on the long Finnish-Russian land border as well as the possible implications of such NATO’s expansion for the Arctic. Experts are actively discussing the modalities of Helsinki’s and Stockholm’s practical inclusion in the bloc’s current initiatives and upcoming plans,...
... June 17, 2021, the Embassy of Finland held a discussion on RIAC and MGIMO report
"The Arctic Council: Status and Activities"
, as well as a discussion on international cooperation in the Arctic. Ambassadors of the seven Arctic states to the Russian Federation (Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Canada, USA, Iceland) and Nikolai Korchunov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador at Large, took part in the discussion.
RIAC was represented at the event by Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General; Ivan Timofeev,...
On May 20, 2021, East Office in partnership with the Nordic West Office hosted an online conference on "US-Russia Rivalry and the Nordic Companies."
On May 20, 2021, East Office (an association of large Finnish businesses operating in Russia) in partnership with the Nordic West Office (an international global affairs consultancy and think tank serving ...
