Finland's NATO bid and Russia's Belarus plan, 31 March 2023
A look back at two developments from the final days of March 2023 that shaped the security picture in northern and eastern Europe.
What did the last days of March 2023 mean for European security? By 31 March 2023, two announcements had set the context: Hungary had moved to clear Finland's path into NATO, and Russia had said it would place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
On 27 March, Hungary's National Assembly voted 182–6 to approve Finland's accession to the alliance. That left Turkey as the only NATO member yet to approve Finland's membership, so the remaining step in Finland's accession rested with a single member state.
Two days earlier, on 25 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by July. The weapons were to be operated by Russian forces. If carried out, it would be the first time since 1996 that Russian nuclear weapons were deployed abroad.
Set side by side, the two developments pointed in different directions: an enlargement of the alliance edging towards completion for Finland, and a announced Russian deployment on the territory of a neighbouring state. Both were still pending on 31 March 2023: Turkey's decision on Finland had not been made, and the deployment was scheduled for a later date.
