DISINFO: Finland’s decision to join Nato is inadequate: It cannot live without Russian energy
SUMMARY
Finland is going to pay dearly for joining Nato. The Finnish strategy bewilders because they are not capable of replacing Russian oil, natural gas, and electricity. Finland has not taken a lesson as there is a clear example of Germany, Austria, and other EU countries, which failed in blackmailing Russia over deliveries of natural gas. As a result, they are paying for it in rubles, therefore strengthening Russian currency and filling in the Russian budget despite sanctions. Seemingly, jokes about the Finns’ slow cognitive processes have some truth in them.
RESPONSE
This article discredits Finland’s decision to join Nato by exaggerating its energy dependence on Russia. It falsely claims that Finland cannot substitute Russian oil, gas, and electricity and, therefore, will pay dearly for joining NATO. Apart from denigrading remarks about the Finnish people, it also misrepresents the current state of affairs with EU companies’ payments for Russian gas.
While in 2020, 65% of natural gas imported to Finland came from Russia, notably, the share of natural gas in the Finnish energy mix is just 6%. Hence, the discontinuation of Russian gas supplies is not expected to be shocking for Finland. Finland plans to rent a new floating LNG terminal, together with Estonia, to put an end to gas deliveries from Russia, according to Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Finnish oil refining and marketing company Neste Corporation replaced 85% of Russian imported oil from other sources by the start of April 2022 and has no plans to conclude new contracts with Russia. When it comes to electricity, Finland considers itself to be well positioned due to the presence of a common electricity market in the Nordics and grid connections between Finland and both Sweden and Estonia. Furthermore, the latest Finnish nuclear power plant, Olkiluoto 3, is expected to be fully operational in September 2022 delivering 14 percent of Finnish electricity needs.
Hence, the intention of the Finnish authorities to get rid of Russian energy as soon as possible looks feasible. “I'd say soon – we’re talking about weeks or months rather than years when it comes to Finland”, Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin said on 10 April.
As for the alleged payments for Russian energy in rubles by Austria and Germany, these claims are manipulative disinformation. Austria continues to pay for Russian gas only in euros and strictly adheres to agreed EU sanctions, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer wrote in his Twitter account on 27 April 2022. In the same tweet, he called claims about ruble payments “fake news of Russian propaganda.” A German government spokesman said on 30 March 2022 that Germany will continue to pay for Russian gas in euros and dollars.
On 18 May 2022, Finland and Sweden simultaneously handed in their official letters of application to join NATO, a momentous step for the two historically militarily non-aligned countries. The leaders of both countries have made it clear that the decision to apply for membership is a direct consequence of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. An opinion poll conducted in early May 2022 saw over three-quarters of Finns in favour of NATO membership, whereas a mere 12% of respondents took the opposite view.
In both Finland and Sweden, there is overwhelmingly broadbased support across the political landscape which has also been manifested in the process in the parliaments: in Finland with 188 deputies voting for and only 8 against NATO membership application, Out of Sweden's eight parties, only two smaller left-leaning parties oppose the application for membership.
Some of the recent tropes on similar topic claim that ‘Finland and Sweden are dragged into NATO to wage war against Russia’, that ‘NATO is about to collapse and would do Finland and Sweden no good’, and that ‘NATO armament would drain the public finances leading to well-fare problems’.