'Let It Be Lesson To Putin' — World Leaders React To Finland's Accession To NATO

Washington D.C./04.04.23/Turan:   Before Russia's Putin invaded Ukraine last year, Finland had maintained mostly cordial relations with Russia. Now, however, NATO doubles its border with Russia, thanks to more than 800 miles of frontier Russia shares with the Nordic country.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he was "tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr Putin for, because he once again here has precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russia's aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense"

As Finland officially joined NATO yesterday, it also brings with it a well-equipped and trained armed force of about 30,000. It can additionally call on 250,000 reserves.

"Let Finland be a lesson to President Putin" British Defense minister Ben Wallace said in a statement. "Finland chose to join, based on their own free will."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin believes that "Putin’s war is not the result of NATO enlargement—it is the cause of NATO enlargement."

"And the United States is determined to stand with Ukraine’s brave defenders for as long as it takes," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Finland.  "We expect [the] NATO summit in Vilnius will bring Ukraine closer to our Euro-Atlantic goal" he noted.

Alex Raufoglu