Ukraine, Minuto Rizzo (former NATO secretary): “Finland and Sweden in the Atlantic Alliance? They are very afraid”

Finland and possibly Sweden are preparing to formalize the NATO membership application within weeks as Lithuania’s prime minister Ingrida Simonyte noted that the Kremlin has already deployed nuclear warheads 100 kilometers from the border. “Post scriptum: Helsinky and Stockholm must have a lot of fear to make a similar gesture, renouncing neutrality. But Lithuanian fear is a historical fear”, which easily overflows into a “wolf to wolf”. So to the Adnkronos Alessandro Minuto Rizzo, former NATO interim secretary who comments: “it makes us smile that at the beginning of the crisis there was talk of a Finnishization for Ukraine. And Vilnius should reduce the continuous visits to Kiev”, fuel on the fire Russian. According to the diplomat, the entry of Sweden and Finland into the Atlantic Alliance would be “a change of political scenario that from a military point of view does not add much, since it does not upset the balance of power”. However, one point is interesting: “both are members of the partnership for peace. I happened to receive their parliamentarians who came to Brussels and tested the ground several times in the past – he recalls – because from the point of view of law, neither Helsinki nor Stockholm has constitutional obligations of neutrality, like Switzerland, Austria or Ireland “. So would a possible entry into NATO make the gesture less serious in the eyes of Russia? “Moscow may be angry, but it cannot pretend to attack Finns for violating international commitments or constitutional assumptions. The entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO will only be a historic political choice for these countries”. And Lithuania? “The Baltic countries are particularly sensitive to relations with Russia, even 10 years ago they feared the invasion. So today any signal that seems to materialize that danger leads them to cry wolf wolf. And also to continually show their diversity from Moscow. and their opposition. It is enough to observe now the continuous visits to Kiev – observes the diplomat – If I were them I would reduce these continuous demonstrations of opposition to Russia, which are adding fuel to the fire, because knowing the Russians, they will be furious. to ease the general situation, convincing Putin to make peace, I say that common sense would help us “. “Instead – concludes the former NATO secretary – we see Poles and Baltics on alternate days in Ukraine. And the utterances of President Zelensky who refuses to receive the German head of state Frank-Walter Steinmeier”. A serious and counterproductive fact according to Minuto Rizzo: “Offending a country like Germany is not a sign of great diplomacy. Zelensky is exceptional on the media front, but I wonder if all this solidarity has not led him to feel a little too sure of himself. Now everyone pretends nothing has happened, but certainly if these acts were repeated in the long term, friendly countries and others less would be created, which is not even convenient for Ukraine “, he concludes. (by Roberta Lanzara)