Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Hiski Haukkala, director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and former chief of cabinet to the Finnish president, to discuss the growing Russia threat to Northern Europe, Finland's unique way of managing the Russia problem, and potential ways to build a more stable and predictable relationship between Europe and the Kremlin.
Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia’s northern neighbors—Finland and Sweden—decided to join NATO in order to strengthen their security vis-a-vis a belligerent Moscow. In the fifth year of the Russia-Ukraine war, the risks are nevertheless on Europe's doorstep, and some argue that Russia may even launch a kinetic attack against its neighbors in the not-so-distant future—including against Finland. How is Finland responding to these risks? How has NATO membership contributed to Finnish security? Should Europe add diplomacy to its toolkit for dealing with a rogue Russia?
Check out the Foreign Affairs piece by Hiski Haukkala and Samuel Charap here.