was creeping east and surrounding him. Although the need for Finlandization ended with the Cold War, and the country later joined the European Union, it steadfastly refrained from joining NATO—largely for reasons of regional stability, it argued, and always retaining the right to join if the situation changed. While Finland didn’t have the formal protection of NATO membership, it also had no obligation to go to war with Russia if any NATO member suddenly found itself the victim of a Russian onslaught. Or at least, that is what Niinistö could say to Putin. Whether Putin believed it was another
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