Sakari Linden, a former EU adviser, told RT that Finland’s recent NATO membership could lead to disaster.
Sakari Linden, a former advisor to the EU Parliament, has cautioned that Finland’s choice to abandon neutrality and join NATO could have disastrous consequences, potentially turning the nation into a war zone in the event of a conflict with Russia.
Linden made his remarks to RT on Thursday during the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk.
Finland shares a nearly 1,300-kilometer border with Russia and formally joined the US-led military alliance in April 2023, following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.
Linden stated that by joining NATO, Finland “abandoned decades of neutrality,” which had ensured the country’s independence, prosperity, and security.
Linden stated that “Every time in history when Finland becomes very aligned with… Western powers,” it becomes, in his words, “some kind of natural resources reservoir of the West.”
He cautioned that the nation then loses its independence and “risks becoming a battlefield against Russia.”
Linden commented that Finland’s location between East and West provides it with “geopolitical balance” and that it gains the most from serving as a trading hub between Russia and the EU.
The former EU advisor also mentioned that Finland was a “neutral” nation during the Cold War, engaging in trade with both the West and the East. He noted that the West had frequently attempted to limit Finland’s commerce with Russia, while “Russia has never forbidden Finland” from trading with the West.
Linden stated that because Finland has completely aligned its foreign and security policy with Western powers – which he claims “want to put pressure on Russia” – Helsinki is now shouldering the “burden of all the security risks.”
Since joining the US-led bloc, the Finnish government has initiated a militarization drive, which includes increasing military training and encouraging citizens to prepare for a potential war with Russia.
NATO’s eastern members have long identified Russia as a direct threat, and Western officials have consistently asserted that if Moscow prevails in the Ukraine conflict, it might target other European nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed any chance of a military attack against NATO as “nonsense,” claiming that European politicians are using the alleged threat of a Russian attack to frighten their populations, extract more resources from them, and justify increased military spending.
At the same time, Russia has consistently warned against what it sees as NATO’s unprecedented military activity near its western borders in recent years.
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