Oh Dear Vlad.....finland Join N A T O On Tuesday.

[ToraToraTora]

I thought he idea was to curtail NATO......
https://news.sky.com/story/finland-moves-closer-to-becoming-nato-member-as-turkey-ratifies-accession-12845989

[ichkeria]

He don’t care about NATO.
If he did he wouldn’t have left his entire NE flank unguarded. The Finns could walk in tomorrow and take Karelia.
They reckon the Poles could be in St Petersburg in a fortnight …
Finland has a new PM now after yesterdays election

[ichkeria]

NW flank of course

[Hopkirk]

No one is going to invade Russia. He could leave the borders unguarded.

[ichkeria]

They’re actually trying to keep people in not out!

[youngmafbog]

//No one is going to invade Russia.//

I wouldn't be so sure on that. It makes perfect sense for China to try and take the East of Russia to help completed their domination of the West Pacific, something they have been doing for a while now southwards.

[ichkeria]

Can’t see that.
China is obsessed with protecting its existing territory. And laying claim to Taiwan.
They don’t want the *** show that is the eastern wasteland of Russia

[ichkeria]

There is a chance that military defeat may lead to tensions in the Russian so-called “federation” of pseudo states that cause it to break apart or at least to unrest. Most if not all of these territories lacking the political institutions to enable them to make a go of independence, then someone like China might feel it necessary to intervene to quell ethnic unrest which threatened to spill over inside its borders.
An unprovoked along the lines of Russia’s in Ukraine tho no I don’t really think so.

[youngmafbog]

We shall see.

Personally I trust China less than I do Russia. Not that I trust Russia at all!

[Hopkirk]

Yes, I forgot China. They do have designs on some Russian territory. I still don't think they would be foolish enough to invade .

[ichkeria]

The Russians you know lie constantly. With the Chinese you can’t be sure: in a way that is indeed worse :-)

[ichkeria]

Finland will officially join NATO tomorrow it is believed.

[ToraToraTora]

....and Sweden won't be far behind them ich.

[ichkeria]

Erdogan is still playing difficult with the Swedes, but he'll come round in the end. I'm not sure if Hungary has said "yea" or whatever the word is Hungarian (or indeed Swedish) yet.
Your essential point at the start is still valid, of course, despite what I said about Putin not caring about NATO. For years Russia threatened Sweden and Finland with unspecified stuff if they tried to join NATO, but after the actions of the past year no one gives a rude thing about their threats. And so internationally they are humiliated.