Finland rejects reported Russian demand to leave NATO

Finland has rejected a reported Russian demand that it leave NATO as part of Ukraine peace talks, with Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen saying its membership in the alliance was not up for negotiation.

"Such matters are in no way a matter for negotiation. Russia knows that. This is absolutely outrageous to even suggest such a thing," Häkkänen told reporters on Friday, according to Finnish broadcaster Yle.

German newspaper Bild reported that a Russian proposal made during talks in Abu Dhabi this week included Moscow keeping occupied Ukrainian territories, gaining control of new swathes of land, demilitarizing ports in Ukraine, removing NATO bases from the Baltics, and Finland leaving NATO. Russia proposed withdrawing its nuclear weapons from Belarus and refraining from stationing intermediate-range missiles there in exchange, Bild reported.

It remains unclear which proposals Russian President Vladimir Putin would support after discussions between intermediaries, according to the report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a new security framework for Europe for after the war raised by the Americans "can be dangerous." "Russia certainly cannot make decisions on behalf of all the societies that are members of NATO," he told reporters on Friday.

Zelenskyy’s comments were not in direct response to the demands reported by Bild, but came after a meeting between Zelenskyy and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Thursday in Dublin.

"Putin’s desire to change borders in Europe is a fact. I am sure this is part of his concept of revising security guarantees in Europe. This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations," Zelenskyy said.

Legal context

Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Membership brought the country within the Alliance's collective-defense arrangements and ended its previous policy of military nonalignment.

An agreement between Russia and Ukraine, even if supported or mediated by the United States, could not terminate Finland's NATO membership without Finland's consent. Article 34 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties expresses the rule that treaties ordinarily do not create obligations or rights for states that are not parties to them.

Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty establishes the withdrawal procedure. Once the treaty has been in force for twenty years, a party may cease to be a party one year after giving notice of denunciation to the Government of the United States. The treaty entered into force in August 1949, so that condition had already been satisfied when Finland joined in April 2023.

Finland could accordingly invoke Article 13 without waiting until 2043. After the required notice and the passage of one year, its membership would end under the treaty. Article 13 does not make withdrawal dependent on the approval of Russia or another non-member state.

Kremlin denial

On November 13, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia had demanded Finland's withdrawal from NATO. Interfax reported that Peskov said no such demand had been made and that the subject had not been discussed.

The denial does not, by itself, establish whether proposals of that kind circulated through unofficial channels. An informal suggestion from an intermediary, a draft prepared without governmental authorization, and a demand formally adopted by the Kremlin have different diplomatic significance.

Why it matters

• Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023.
• Finland's Defense Minister said NATO membership is not a matter for negotiation.
• The Kremlin denied making such a demand.
• A peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could not legally remove Finland from NATO without Finland's consent.

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Sources

• politico.eu: Finland rejects reported Russian demand to leave NATO as part of peace talks – POLITICO
• diplomacyandlaw.com: Russia’s Reported Demand That Finland Leave NATO: What the Law Allows
• clashreport.com: Russia Demands Finland Leave NATO After Abu Dhabi Peace Talks · Clash Report

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.