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The Baltic Sea is now surrounded by NATO members, with Finland and Sweden having recently joined the military organization. This issue has become a real headache for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as it clearly represents a geopolitical threat to his country.
The reason why these movements are so important lies in the way in which these countries’ accession to NATO is changing the strategic situation in the Baltic Sea.
The 3 Baltic countries, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, have been members of NATO for several years, so Sweden’s role could be crucial. Should Russia ever find itself at war with NATO, the country could be used as an intermediate territory to reinforce Norway or Finland. Above all, Sweden’s membership would give the defense alliance effective control over the Baltic Sea.
“If you look at the map, geographically the Baltic Sea becomes NATO’s lake,” explained Minna Alander, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. “But NATO still has a lot of work to do,” she added.
Putin caught in a Baltic vice by NATO countries
