In preparation for Vladimir Putin’s imminent meeting with Joe Biden, the Kremlin published a set of demands on European security, including a ban on Nato expansion and the deployment of offensive weapons near Russia’s border. The backdrop to this démarche was Moscow’s intensifying military pressure on Ukraine and its resentment at Nato’s admission of 14 central and eastern European countries between 1999 and 2020.
For Sweden and Finland, the Russian demands give extra cause for concern. For 30 years the traditionally neutral duo have drawn close to Nato, without applying to join the US-led alliance. On December 24 Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, stated that if Sweden and Finland were to become Nato members, “this would have serious military and political consequences”.
From a Swedish and Finnish point of view, such warnings look disturbingly like an attempt to limit the foreign and security policy choices of democratic, independent…