Finland Does What Coward Biden Can't, Lays The Smackdown On Putin
Putin's barking a ton of demands. Unlike Biden, the leaders of Finland pushed back. Russia had demanded that Ukraine not be allowed to join NATO and wants any country from Eastern Europe to be kicked out—or else. Putin claimed that Russia would attack Ukraine in 'self-defense' but Finland wasn't buying it.
Despite Putin placing 100k Russian troops at the border, Finland told the tyrannical leader to buzz off:
"Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö on Saturday reiterated his country’s right to join Nato if it wants to, in a dismissal of Russian demands for no further expansion of the Western military alliance near its borders.
“Finland’s room to maneuver and freedom of choice also includes the possibility of military alignment and of applying for Nato membership, should we ourselves so decide,” President Niinistö said in his New Year address.
Last month Russian President Vladimir Putin sought guarantees that Finland would not join Nato. In a statement released by the Kremlin, President Putin said Russian wants “international legal security guarantees” ruling out “Nato’s further movement eastward”.
"It’s clear that Finland’s president is a big fan of NATO and would probably support becoming a member, but it’s not clear that he needs to or would even be able to manage it. Finland already enjoys the highest level of “partner” status with NATO and has all of the trade advantages that go along with it. But they aren’t under the same level of mutual military obligations that full members are. Considering the very long border they share with Russia, putting them literally on the front lines of any potential conflict, they pretty much have the best of both worlds as things currently stand.
Also, Niinistö holds a position on this issue that is distinctly in the minority in his country. Recent polling indicates that 40% of Fins oppose joining NATO while only 26% support it."
Finland, which is almost as well known for being passivists as Switzerland, told Putin to stuff it. Something I would have expected from the US under any other leadership.