European leaders spend a lot of time fretting about Russia these days, but no EU nation has more direct experience in managing an uneasy relationship with Moscow than Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia and spent the Cold War claiming fragile neutrality.
Finland abandoned its political neutrality in 1995 when it joined the European Union. Militarily, however, it has engaged in a delicate geopolitical dance, becoming one of just five countries that are designated as “enhanced opportunity” partners of NATO and yet remaining technically unaligned — a status undoubtedly preferred by the Kremlin.
With Russia demonstrating increased military assertiveness some …read more
Source: POLITICO – Europe Edition
