Name: How Finland and Sweden Would Transform NATO’s Military Capabilities | WSJ
Uploaded: 2022-05-16T15:40:49.000Z
Duration: 5 min 32 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

this piece of land is of strategic importance.

That's because it's located in the center

of the Baltic Sea and is on NATO's European front line.

where Russia has direct access to the west.

Gotland is just one small part of how NATO could benefit

if Sweden and Finland become members of the block.

Both nations have said they will take steps

to apply for membership of the Western military alliance.

to take position of military non-alignment.

would greatly enhance the defense of the Baltic region

and reduce the chances of Russian adventurism

or attack across the air, land, and sea domains

and affect Russia's current strategy in Ukraine.

To understand how, we need to look at the geography

and military capabilities of both countries.

would mean the Alliance has significantly more land

It has an 830-mile long border with Russia

we can see that this border is full of lakes

for military vehicles such as tanks to travel on.

Analysts say those conditions would be beneficial

for NATO in any potential combat situation with Russia.

- From a NATO point of view, it's a huge opportunity.

So you think about combat and Ukraine over by Kyiv,

where Russia was trying to push down really narrow roads.

- [Narrator] One key area for Russia is the Kola Peninsula

where Moscow houses sub-launched ballistic missiles

Currently, the only NATO country bordering the zone

is Norway, but analysts say if Finland joins the block,

it would increase pressure on the region.

- So suddenly, if Finland's having an exercise up here,

So again, Russia has to now divert troops up there.

- [Narrator] In Sweden, Gotland is strategic for Russia

because it could be a base to protect its naval forces

- And they would use that as a base of operations

- [Narrator] In 2017, NATO and Sweden worked together

on a simulated mission of a Baltic Sea attack

would be a central part of any invading strategy.

Although Finland and Sweden have been close NATO partners

for decades and worked on such joint missions,

they have remained militarily non-aligned.

For centuries, Sweden has largely avoided involvement

in military conflicts while Finland stayed out of NATO

I think, is very significant and speaks to the sense

in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

- [Narrator] Russia's invasions of Georgia in 2008

and Crimea in 2014 sounded alarm bells in both nations

In response, Russia, which has long stood against

any eastward expansion of the block has issued threats.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Finish president

non-aligned defense policy would be a mistake for Helsinki.

And Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko

for nuclear weapons near Russia's borders,

- I think one of the reasons that we saw the invasion

of Ukraine is because they are not a member of NATO

and that, you know, Russia felt that they could,

without incurring a direct response from NATO.

And so I think that is something that will be playing

that once these states are, if they become members of NATO,

then it will have to take a more indirect action.