> Neither Sweden nor Finland entered into the EOP until after 2014. They were interoperable and friendly, but the EOP didn't happen until May in 2014. Directly

> Neither Sweden nor Finland entered into the EOP until after 2014. They were interoperable and friendly, but the EOP didn't happen until May in 2014. Directly in response to the rhe Russian annexation of was more or less done in April of 2014. Yes, but it prepared them to pull the trigger on joining NATO at any time. It dont blame them and honestly, I don't think Russia cares very much, even if they complain a bit. The Russia-Finland border is very sparsely populated and it's easily one of the least traversable terrains world wide, excluding mountain ranges and oceans. It's nothing but hills, swamps, lakes, forrest swamps and hill swamps. The point is: Joining the EOP program is a huge warning sign that you're about to join NATO at any moment. > Russia got that when they seized Crimea. Ukraine couldn't join even if they wanted at that point by NATO's own rules without renouncing control of Crimea They could have just given up on Crimea, signed the NATO deal and immediately renewed their claims. Also, these "rules" are loose guidelines at best. Plenty of countries have joined NATO with ongoing border conflicts. Prime example: Greece and Turkey.