Finland’s accession to Nato a major challenge to Putin’s power

Russia  is gravely concerned that Nato will position military capabilities in Finland, on its border — and close to Russia’s own strategically important bases and geography.

Finnish military personnel install the Finnish national flag at the Nato headquarters in Brussels, on April 4. Picture: Getty

In 1948, the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation, and Mutual Assistance was signed between the Soviet Union and Finland, providing a key basis for relations between the two states that was to last throughout the Cold War. 

With memories of the 1939 “winter war” between the two still acute, the agreement embodied the Paasikivi–Kekkonen doctrine, named for two of Finland’s post-war presidents who developed the idea between 1946 and 1982 of a neutral Finland close to the USSR.