Putin’s plan to stop NATO backfires

Finland and Sweden could soon join NATO, moves that would likely infuriate Moscow and that officials say would further underscore Russia's strategic error in invading Ukraine. CNN's Nic Robertson reports. #CNN #News

69 comments

  1. A hypothetical scenario: If my neighbour had a savage dog and that dog attacked the child that belongs to the next door but one’s family, but they refused to do something about that dog I would immediately put some dog proof fencing up between us and the neighbour, as I have a small child too. If the neighbour didn’t like my new fencing I would say “Sod you, it’s my property and I have my family to think about” If they tried to take it down I would be in touch with my lawyer. Sweden and Finland are sovereign states, it’s up to them what they do.

    1. Exactly! There’s this whole concept of sovereignty that Putin seems not to understand. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, because as a Finn to me it’s a no brainer.

      Finland and Sweden are independent and sovereign nations and as such we get to make our own decisions. We are not children and Russia is not our father, so they simply can not try to dictate of who we can play with. Now, I understand that they might not like everything we deside to do, but nevertheless they should respect it when we are not threatening them in anyway. All of our other neighbours and other countries as well seem to understand this just fine. Why can’t Russia?

    2. @JO-LILLIES7 So a bad dog owner gets to dictate that no one else is allowed to have dogs and if they decide to ignore the bully’s unreasonable demands and get a dog to preotect themselves from the bad dog they, the neighbours, are the provokers? Because they want to prevent themselves from being bitten and attacked? You’re saying preventative measures are bad but bullying is OK and allowing a rabid dog to run around is OK … it’s just preventing Putin from doing whatever he wants to do that’s bad?
      Have I got that right?

    3. @milomilo55 what am saying is, We as human creatures should TRY TO bring PEACE on this earth by not provoking our neighbours. If we all bring PEACE there will be no WARS, because everyone will be living PEACEFUL.

    1. @Justin Shim Yes. They have undoubtedly suffered enormously at the hands of russia. Just as Ukraine, at this very moment…

    2. @Colorbug Originals Apparently the Ukrainian farmers were ‘active’ again, recently, and succeeded in towing a couple of additional armored vehicles, to their ‘collection’…

  2. As a german, i say: “Yes, it still is not enough. Germany could do a lot more to support the Ukraine and to bring the Aggressor and his war to an end.”

    1. @Fabio Hoyos Brilliant! That boycott pushes up oil prices in the EU and the US, removes our allies from access to a huge supply of energy, jeopardizes the value of the US petro dollar, increases the value of the Ruble and the Yuan, makes for a closer alliance between Russia, China, and India, and creates a new axis of power that is capable of challenging US / EU hegemony world wide. Any second thoughts on this self-destructive strategy?

    2. @Skirnir Eta I understand the gas sanctions equivocation. It’s not important in the short term. Keep getting the gas but start shipping real weaponry!

  3. As a Finn I’ve to say that we should have joined NATO long time ago. Having a psychopath dictator ready to start wars on a moments notice is frightening.
    Together we’re strong…

  4. In this time 2022 i still can’t believe Russia at whatever level is doing this! Wrong is wrong! In every language!

    1. As someone else said, they not only coming down on the wrong side of history, they are coming down on the wrong side of humanity.

    1. @YOUNUS CM what, you want to lose all your young men? I guess Russia will be more sensible when it’s run by women.😁

    1. @realbraf Do it as soon as possible, you belong with us. As a Slovak citizen I see the power of NATO, a lot of NATO countries and friends located a lot of defensive systems (4 patriot batteries) in our country. Thanks to Germans, the Dutch, the Slovenieans, the Czechs and of course the Americans.Without their support we could not send our S 300 to Ukraine.

    2. I could see Hungarian to oppose the move same way they did to Ukraine Hungarian is nato member but their leader is close to Putin smh

  5. Who WOULDN’T want Finland and Sweden to join their alliance? They are fine nations with good people, and I look forward to them joining NATO as (even stauncher) allies.

    1. @Sagedurk Well the reason for the current Ukraine crisis: It’s not only about NATO! The people of Donbass are ethnic Russians and they did not support the 2014 coup, as those who took control of Kiev (with US backing) are openly xenophobic against the Russians, they even banned the Russian language in Ukraine, which is the native language of the people living in Donbass.

      Ethnic Russians have lived in Donbass for several centuries, so at the moment they are defending their families and the lands where they have lived for many generations. People living in Donbass voted in a referendum to gain more autonomy and stay inside Ukraine, the latter being important as it shows that the Western narrative that the Donbass conflict was started by “pro-Russian separatists” is not is so true and this was part of the typical western propaganda to confuse the world about reality and adapt everything to the western narrative of “it’s Russia’s fault”, I repeat “the people of Donbass did not vote for independence from Ukraine and/or to join Russia, they voted to have more autonomy within Ukraine”, in fact this is the basis of the famous Minsk agreements that Kiev and the West refuse to implement (accusing Russia of not complying with them, when Russia does not has obligations in the agreement), and it has to be repeated that the people of Donbass wanted this because they simply never accepted the 2014 coup, which brought to power people who hate ethnic Russians.

      Divide is based on where Russia’s border was, Malorossia was (before it was called the Ukraine), Poland, Hungary, Romania were before 1917 Revolution.
      Malorossia was always a part of Russia, is Orthodox.
      Galicia/Western Ukraine was part of Poland/ Austro-Hungarian empire & are Catholic.
      Lenin created the Ukrainian Socialist Republic post 1917. Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt added Galicia/Western Ukraine 1945 end WWII. Kruchev added Crimea to Ukrainian Republic in early 1950’s.

      1991 when Communism fell, the borders should have changed back to what they were before 1917.

      Western Ukraine collaborated with Nazis. Russian Red Army (3/4 of Ukraine in that army) liberated the Concentration camps & Soviet Union lost 27 million people to win WWII (with the Allies, but took most of the fighting & suffered the most)

      These old Nazi collaborators never were tried at Nuremberg, kept fighting like the SS for years. They are hero worshiped in Western Ukraine & become the thugs & bullies of the entire Ukraine after the US (Neocon Victoria Nuland & Obama) set them up in 2014 Maidan.

      Now this war is a combination of ALL of the factors above. Russian army has started with occupying what was Malorossia before 1917, that’s where Russian speaking, Orthodox Ukrainians live & hve always lived. East from Kiev & Southern Ukraine.

      From 2014, Azov Battalion, a neo-Nazi militia that uses Hitlerian symbols and is embedded in the National Guard of Ukraine, which also receives support from the US and Canada.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlh6gJmmlN8.

      The political neo-Nazi are inside the parlament, the nationalists are a large part of the military groups that have control and have great influence in Ukraine. In the last 8 years the neo-Nazis have killed minitari ethnic
      groups as e.g. jew homosexuela, Roma people and about 14-15,000 russian-speaking in Kremia and in the eastern flank of Ukraine!

      Again, Russian is the most common mother tongue in the Donbas and Crimea regions of Ukraine and the city of Kharkiv, and the dominant language in major cities in the eastern and southern parts of the country.

      So, maybe Putin therefore has a legitimate reason to respond with some form of invasion because of it +
      Ukrainien Bio-labs supported by USA and NATO getting closer to the Russian doorstep delivering big tech wepeon systems to Ukraine etc etc…

      A shocking new report in the Electronic Intifada reveals that Ukrainian neo-Nazis are using Israeli weapons to fight Russia.
      (May be a backdoor for USA, don’t know)
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXgli7TpINw

      “Zelenskiy provided all the reasons for invasion:
      – he disregarded Minsk agreements as stupid and non profitable
      – he didnt stoped the war on east
      – he didnt stoped Battalion, a neo-Nazi militia and other far right organization, they not only not destroyed but actually grew exponentialy
      – he increased distance between West and East Ukranians further than it was before him

      Now he instead of caring about his people safety are forcing his people to fight for his regime, even if they dont support him anymore. Its literally illegal for men to leave country.”

      – Retired US Army Colonel Douglas MacGregor told incredulous host Stuart Varney that Ukraine has little hope of defeating Russia on the battlefield, and the only reason that Ukrainian President Zelensky insists on continuing is because his NATO puppet-masters are demanding that the fight continue.

      – Zelenskiy Ukrainian presidenti has shut down TV stations, News paper and radio stations , A politician’s opponents that are other politicians who belong to a different party or who have different aims or policies. Just like a dictator.

      Ukrainian presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy was campaigning as an outsider who will clean up politics, but he’s backed by one of the country’s richest men.

      Zelenskiy’s Oligarch Connection
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXgli7TpINw

  6. As a Finn, I was profoundly shaken what the Russians have done in Ukraine and are still doing. I guess it really hit me that they really will do the same in Finland one day. Perhaps not exactly the same way and not as easily, but they will. And not one of the russian people will move a finger against their government and in fact many of them will be chearing their leaders. And sure we have a formiddable army and we likely would get weapons support from Europe, but being part of Nato would make Russia pause.
    It is a shame because geographically it would make sense to ally with Russia and have strong trading ties with them, but that is impossible because of the way they treat people they call brothers. Perhaps we should have seen it way before, we do have history with Russia and we know what they’ve done to other countries, but I wanted to give them a chance because that would have benefitted everyone. It is a shame that majority of Russians feel so entitled, and think themselves of superior and have no appreciation towards other cultures.

    1. @Risto Kempas While Kekkonen wasn’t democratically elected president he wasn’t dictator either, we had relatively free media though state media self-censored itself and independent media showed a lot of restraint. Becoming “unemployable” could happen but applied on governmental functions, civic jobs and management positions in state owned enterprises. Private sector was affected only if employer chose so.
      I think your representation of presidency of Kekkonen was quite narrow and is full of right wing talking points. Either way anyone feels/felt about Kekkonen, Finland had peace, prosperity, huge leaps forward in standards of living, health-care, education, most of extreme poverty was eradicated. Gender equality and other social issues were starting to get addressed too
      I wonder, were you even born when Kekkonen was in office since your sources seem more like opinions…

    2. @rian burke Actually, Texans liberated themselves from Mexico, (Alamo, famous battle) and was a sovereign nation, for a while, until after a few years, Texas decided to become a part of the United States.

    3. @Steen Rasmussen Finland isn’t Scandinavia.
      Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark are Scandinavia.

  7. Putin: “Look at what I will do to you if you even think about joining NATO!”
    Finland & Sweden: “Well now we will join NATO even harder!”

  8. I would love to see both countries join NATO, especially Finland. They know how to make a nice rifle…and I love their culture!

    1. @Viktor Khramtsov some mental gymnastics you have there lmao. Countries neighboring Russia wouldn’t need to join a defensive alliance if they don’t feel threatened.

    2. @Viktor Khramtsov no country is a threat to Russia and its Fearless Leader. It’s your Fearless Leader that is the threat. If he wants to restore the empire, let him bring it on. Will you carry a rifle, or just pester people on YouTube?

  9. Having Finland and Sweden joining NATO together with rest of the Scandinavian countries the polar region will have the strenght to not getting bullied by Russia. To be able to give and get aid from our closest neighbours will be a huge relief especially for the people living in the northern part of Norway who will be easy victims for an eventual Russian hostility. Waiting for aid from USA and central Europe will take ages because of the length of the country.

    1. The size of NATO’s army is 10 times the size of Russia’s army . . Finland will not make a difference

    2. @Walker Stoneleigh Don’t think you understand why Finland and Sweden getting into NATO will benefit northern Norway in such a big way. Do you know the distance from middle Europe Finnmark, almost on top of the world? Finland and Sweden are neighbouring countries to that area and can have troops in place much much sooner than USA ever would be able to. I’ll suggest you take a peek at the map

    3. @Walker Stoneleigh Yes it will. We all can act very fast if Russia attacks. When Nordic countries are together, they have a massive army with modern weapons. Finland alone has one of the biggest army in whole western Europe. Many people doesnt understand it. After Finland and Sweden joins NATO, whole Scandinavia is safe.

  10. Interesting how the United States never threatened any country with war to join NATO. Mexico abstained from opposing the war in the UN and the US didn’t threaten to bomb them. There seem to be some big differences between the behavior of the US and that of Russia.

  11. As a Finn myself, i am glad i have grown up reading the Russian “Winter War” Invasion in 1939. I am trained since a child & i know my land. I will vote to join NATO.

    1. In winter war the soviets were forced by the brilliant former Russian General mannerheim (including all of his former Russian imperial officers) to make a large regrouping of forces to achieve at the end a victory VS Finland. Results was totally losing of influence of Finland in Estonia, losing large parts of territory together with 100000s of refugees.
      1 year later be part of Axis, again losing 100 000s of life’s until 1944 only because of the smart manerheim forces to sign a contract not to be part of Nato.
      To hope Ukraine will achieve today simular is really sado masochism.

      Get part of Nato as Finland anyway canceled all relations with russia and be part of the club of exporters of “freedom” to Lybia, Syria, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and, and and…

    2. Then you will know the name of Simo Häyhä? The greatest sniper who ever lived. The Nazis hunted him for a year while he survived in the frozen wastes, ignoring horrific injuries to his own face. At least, they thought they were hunting him, while he hunted them. Damned tough people, the Finns. Europe would be honoured to have you.

    3. @Jurij Eckel : Putin poodles are very emotional when they’re ashamed. How embarrassing for Putin. How will he explain to his own people that his whole protection racket backfired? And that he has less to show for his costly war than what he started with? No wonder you’re upset 😁

  12. As an American who profoundly admires my ancestors’ nations of Norway and Sweden, I welcome your NATO membership with open arms. Finland is equally amazing and rich in culture.

    The Nordic nations are beacons of human rights, peace, education and democracy. We welcome your allyship & stand in solidarity with you 🇸🇪🇺🇸🇫🇮

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