On March 1, 2023, the Finnish parliament almost unanimously approved the country's accession to NATO.. 184 deputies out of 200 voted " After Finland's application is supported by Hungary and Turkey, the country will officially become part of the Alliance. Thus, Finland finally abandoned the long-term policy of neutrality and, by its own example, strengthened the possibility and realism of using the “Finlandization” model of any of the countries, in particular, Ukraine. Ivan Gisem and Maxim Yakovlev in the article \? ”, analyzed the phenomenon of “Finlandization” in relation to Ukraine.

In particular, in their opinion, the phenomenon of “Finlandization” in the Ukrainian context does not mean ensuring Ukraine’s non-aligned nature, but rather expanding its defense capability and moving towards EU membership, as well as using the window of opportunity for NATO membership..

The authors note that until recently the problem of " In particular, the example of Finland in a historical context was cited as a successful illustration of a country that managed to build an efficient economy and become a wealthy state with a high standard of living, while remaining aloof from military-political blocs..

Moreover, the “Finlandization” narrative was promoted as an alternative to the Euro-Atlantic perspective of Ukraine, which could satisfy the Russian Federation and prevent the escalation of tension between the two countries.. However, everything changed with the large-scale Russian invasion, which demonstrated the complete failure of this policy in the Ukrainian context, as well as a superficial understanding of the phenomenon itself..

The authors of the article explain that the “Finlandization” policy became possible due to unique geographical, political, historical and other circumstances..

According to Finnish experts, it is a mistake to consider this model of the Cold War era or other models of neutrality as suitable for meeting the needs of modern Ukraine.. According to them, Finland's own example, which applied for NATO membership, is a vivid confirmation of this..

Scientists believe that Ukraine should pay special attention to the development of its own Armed Forces, which, in particular, will contribute to the growth of the stability of civil society. The Russian Federation must understand that the losses will always exceed the potential benefits from participation in the conflict.

“If, nevertheless, we consider the very phenomenon of “Finlandization” in relation to Ukraine, then it means, rather, not ensuring the non-alignment of Ukraine, which Russia is striving for in order to control it, but, on the contrary, such a development path in which Ukraine, according to the experience of Finland, is increasing.

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Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO last year after they were concerned about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.. Only two of the Alliance's 30 countries, Hungary and Turkey, have yet to ratify their applications.. Turkey has raised significant objections to the countries joining the Alliance, citing their support for Kurdish groups, which Ankara sees as a terrorist threat..

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would not approve Sweden's application to join NATO, while at the same time the attitude towards Finland on this issue is positive.