Opinion|Reader’s opinion
A referendum is not needed, but a decision must be made by the current parliamentarians.
Mightily opinion poll According to 53 percent of Finns support NATO membership. According to the same survey, 66 per cent of citizens would support membership if Sweden and Finland applied for it together. These support figures are so clear that we should no longer think about a referendum on joining NATO, but the current parliamentarians will have to make that decision.
Finland’s position in Vladimir Putin’s neighbor next to Russia is already in fact so critical that the NATO decision should not be left to the next parliament. The situation in Europe will not stabilize because of unpredictable Russia, whatever happens in Ukraine.
Although Finland has a large reserve army in terms of size, it does not guarantee Finland’s security. More important than the number of fighters in the war is the availability of weapons and equipment, as well as efficient logistics, which is still seen after Russia invaded Ukraine.
If Finland were to go to war, it would be up to the United States and NATO to maintain the entire Finnish arsenal and obtain supplies. In the last wars, Finland was able to manufacture its own weapons and ammunition, but no longer. Even Finnish fighter jets could not operate for long without the support of the United States and NATO. In the war, Russia would be able to close Finland’s land and sea connections, so all the weapons maintenance needed by Finland would have to be done by air with the help of NATO.
Finland’s state leadership must not give its citizens a too rosy picture of Finland’s position as Russia’s aggressive and unpredictable neighbor. The beginning of wisdom is the recognition of the facts. The fact is that NATO is already the EU’s only defense force. Why should Finland alone defend the 1,300-kilometer-long EU border?
Ilpo Suominen
engineer, retired, Tampere
Reader opinions are speeches written by HS readers, selected and delivered by HS’s editorial staff. You can leave a comment or read the principles of writing at www.hs.fi/kirjtamielipidekirjoitus/.
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